Rising Dragon, Hidden Hammers
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: It's funny how reincarnation works. Fon's just happy he got a twin brother out of the deal who takes training just as seriously as he does, even if Tang San is rather naive in some ways. On the plus side, he gets to watch his twin stumble through this life while enjoying being overkill in so many ways...and he's not alone. A few friends are along friends are along for the ride.
1. Chapter 1

He would never forget the shocked expression on his twin's face when he casually asked during their morning training...

"So how old did you get before you reincarnated?"

Tang San actually _stumbled_ and tripped on nothing when his twin Fon asked him that question.

"What?" he said shocked.

"I said how old were you before you were reincarnated into this life?" repeated Fon, enjoying the expression on his brother's face just a wee bit too much.

Tang San gave him an odd look.

"How do you know I was reincarnated?"

"Because I was. It's not hard to pick up on the fact we both display an unusual degree of maturity and skill for our age, or the fact that we know training methods that are unheard of in this area," said Fon. "Really, I would have thought you would have picked up on it already that you're not alone."

If there was one thing Tang San could appreciate about his slightly younger twin, it was the fact Fon didn't beat around the bush. He was sometimes too blunt, in all honesty.

"...Twenty-five," he admitted. "I stole a scroll teaching a forbidden technique and completed a weapon that hadn't been seen in centuries that was only available to the inner sect, and decided that rather than suffer disgrace I would cast myself off a mountain. I made sure they got back everything that belonged to the clan though."

Fon smiled.

"Eighty, and I died in my sleep. I spent over thirty years cursed to the body of a toddler because some demi-god couldn't be bothered to find a better solution once the main crisis was averted and he had centuries to work on it. I did master over a hundred and eight different styles of martial arts before that though," said Fon.

Most people would have stared at the sheer number of styles, but then again Tang San had always known his twin was a genius like him. Considering the sheer number of hidden weapon techniques he had mastered before his death, he had no room to talk.

"So what now?"

"Considering we awaken our 'Martial Souls' in two years, I was hoping we could spar with each other in the mornings once you're done cultivating," admitted Fon. "It would be nice not to have to scramble to get back to what _we_ consider peak form after we get our spirits. Besides, I've been curious to find out if my abilities remain the same or if I have to alter them to fit what I remember."

If Tang San had been anyone else, he might have balked at the idea of harsh training. They were only four at the moment, after all.

But this was someone who understood just as deeply as his twin that if you wanted to get strong, you had to start early. And children were highly adaptable if you started early enough.

Instead a familiar grin came across Tang San's face when he looked at his twin, and an anticipatory smirk came across Fon's.

"We keep this to ourselves. While our father is particularly strong for the area it's clear whatever caused our mother's death hit him very hard. He clearly doesn't want to stir the pot until we're old enough to defend ourselves from whomever killed her," said Fon.

Tang San nodded in agreement. He hadn't picked up on how strong their father was, just that he was broken from whatever happened to their mother.

He slid into a stance.

"Shall we, brother?" he said calmly.

Fon's answering grin was slightly wild. It was rare he showed his eyes properly, but Tang San could tell his brother was _really_ looking forward to this.

If their father noticed the fact that they looked like they had gotten their asses kicked by someone who knew what they were doing, he said nothing.

It didn't hide the fact both brothers were grinning wildly for days.

It was so nice that they didn't have to hide their true selves from each other, and Tang San had been openly pleased that his twin was not only able to keep up with him, but didn't look remotely upset at the fact his slightly older brother had no issues with murdering another.

Then again considering what Fon had done for a living before, he had zero room to talk. He just hoped Tang San wouldn't mind teaching him a bit about hidden weapons, because his limited knowledge of the art was rather rusty. Besides, it was so hard to find a decent weapons-smith.

* * *

 _Two years later..._

Tang San and Tang Fon were the most unusual twins in the village, but there was no denying the fact they had a close bond with each other. Both were overly mature for their age, both were morning people and both had a sense of hidden age behind their eyes... Fon more than Tang San.

Where Tang San felt like a grass reed that would bend rather than break, Tang Fon always felt like a storm that was on the verge of hitting. An unstoppable force of devestation where he stood in the center of it, unleashing the wrath of the hurricane.

Both twins were eagerly anticipating today, because they were rather curious to see what they would get.

One by one the children filed up and had their spirits awakened.

Fon allowed his brother to go before him... Tang San had some Blue Silver Grass and a war hammer. He wondered how rare twin spirits were in this world, though he focused more on the fact that Tang San had the peak amount of spiritual energy available almost immediately. It meant their training had paid off.

Then it was his turn...and he nearly gave the poor man a heart attack.

"A dragon!" he said with a hiss of shock.

Fon's spirit wasn't as 'passive' as Tang San. He had a vibrant red dragon that curled around his body that was almost _identical_ to the one he used to have tattooed on his left shoulder. With all the fuss over such a powerful and terrifying spirit, the fact he also manifested a war hammer in his left hand like his brother went unnoticed. Fon briefly noted that unlike Tang San, his hammer had curling dragons on it.

He briefly touched the orb and was pleased that he had innate full Spirit Power, just like his brother.

He could only hope that they wouldn't try to seperate the two of them. It was nearly impossible to find a decent sparring partner that could keep up with him. Besides, he was rather fond of his brother.

As they left the hall where the ceremony took place, Fon shared a smile with Tang San.

"Well that was interesting," he said.

Tang San nodded.

"I wish I could say I am surprised that you got a dragon, but it suits you," said Tang San.

"Grass suits you as well, brother. You are the type that bends under adversity, but does not break. Besides, saying a plant has no applications is complete nonsense. I can think off the top of my head several applications for it depending on which path you want to take."

Poison, for instance, or healing herbs. Saying his brother's spirit was useless simply because they had never found it worth studying was a fool's comment. Just because Blue Silver Grass had yet to show it's true power didn't mean it was useless.

Tang San nodded in complete agreement. His mind also went to the fact that several plants that looked innocuous could prove lethal in the right doses and mixtures. Besides, poison complimented his hidden weapon style perfectly.

As they headed home, both twins were eager to see their father's reaction to the news.

Tang San apparently took more after their mother, because he had inherited her spirit. However it was the look on his face when he saw that _both_ of his sons inherited a war hammer that told Fon that it was far more important than words could express at the moment.

The look on his face when he saw the dragon Fon got was hilarious though.

* * *

It took several months of arguing, but the Elder finally got permission to extend the invitation to the twins to attend the Academy together. However as a concession he wasn't allowed to send anyone the year after and had to give up the spot to another village for two years.

Considering how _rare_ it was for anyone in their village to have spirit power during the awakening ceremony, it was a price they were willing to pay.

However the real difficulty came with convincing their father to let them attend. Fon wasn't certain what nightmares plagued the man's past, but he was sure it had something to do with what happened to their mother.

He let Tang San work on that aspect, focusing more on his own training and secretly befriending one of the animals in the forest.

He should have known Lichi would find a way to follow him here. He was inordinately pleased by this fact, but the problem was that he heard several rumors that Spirit Masters killed specific animals in order to get over the 'barrier' that prevented them from cultivating from a certain point.

Animals like the new body Lichi now inhabited. He would have to be extra vigilant if he wanted to prevent some fool from killing his monkey simply to obtain power.

During the course of the months before new admissions were accepted, Fon worked diligently on his new power.

He was beyond pleased when he discovered quite by accident that his Flames were still available. Like Tang San, some of his abilities _had_ carried over, but he had to work from scratch to get his body back into the condition he found acceptable. Something that took time and a lot of patience, because it mostly involved ingraving the moves into muscle memory.

Once he had a handle on his Storm Flames (and he felt relieved he wouldn't have to recreate most of his special attacks), he decided to alter their morning training to help Tang San awaken his.

He had no doubt his twin would have them.

Tang San stared at the purple and indigo flame that blazed brightly on his hand. Fon had to snort, because he should have guessed his twin had the same 'types' as Kyouya, just in vastly different proportions.

"You're a Cloud and Mist primary. The purple color allows you to propogate things...like throwing a single needle only to turn into a rain of them or increase the amount of poison on the weapons you use."

Seeing he had his brother's full interest, Fon smiled.

"Imagine a weapon you created in your last life. One that was intimately familiar to you. You know the weight as well as you do the smith's hammer you've been using recently. Every curve, every edge, every part of it...now imagine that you're holding it," said Fon.

Tang San closed his eyes. There were few weapons he was intimately familiar with in the way Fon was describing. He imagined one in particular, a blade he was rather proud of from his days as part of the Tang clan. It was something he was very familiar with and he could almost imagine the familiar weight in his hand. The hand gripped tight in his right palm, over familiar ridges and details.

He almost lost the image when he felt _something_ appear in his hand.

"Now open your eyes."

Tang San did...and stared in shock at the blade he was holding. There were a few details wrong, but he _knew_ this blade.

"That is the property of the Mist. To create something from nothing and nothing from something. So long as your belief is strong enough, you can make any number of 'creations' reality...or in your case give you access to weapons you once held before you have the material needed to recreate them. Remember, as long as _you_ believe it exists, then it will."

Tang San could already think of a _number_ of applications he could use for such abilities. The smaller weapons were a hassle to recreate, but being able to multiply them from a small number was a devastating ability. And to be able to recreate the weapons he was so familiar with so long as he truly believed they existed in his hand was not something he would idly pass up.

"And what color did you get, brother?" asked Tang San curious.

Fon's smile was wicked.

"Red, the color of the Storm. Basically my flame acts like an acid and disintergrates anything it touches," he said pleased.

Tang San would have shivered if anyone _else_ had that sort of wicked grin on their face while calmly explaining they could literally melt someone to death.

But if anyone had his trust with that sort of terrifying power, it was Fon.

"By the way, where do you go every afternoon while I'm with father?"

Fon grinned and whistled sharply.

A small white body chittered back, and flew out of the trees, before calmly jumping onto Fon's shoulder and staring at Tang San who was gaping.

"Tang San, meet Lichi. Lichi, this is my twin brother Tang San."

The monkey chittered at him, giving a tiny wave.

"...You do realize there's no way father would agree to let you keep a monkey in the house."

"Why do you think I've been keeping him outside?" said Fon amused.

A few days later, Lichi followed Fon home in a fit of boredom. Tang Hao, much to their surprise, barely batted his eye at the fact that his youngest son had managed to tame a monster into his own pet.

Fon was rather happy about that.

Which was why he waited until his twin was out getting food for the day before he asked his father something.

"Father...do you think it would be possible to hide the fact Lichi is actually a monster I befriended and acted as though he was my Martial Spirit?"

"There are spirits that can manifest as actual beasts. So long as you keep quiet about the fact you have a dragon it _should_ be possible," he admitted. "And never, ever show your hammer. Not unless your life or the life of your brother depends on it."

Fon bowed his head in agreement. He had suspected there was something odd about the hammer he and his brother had. It took far to much energy to manifest, which meant it was exceptionally powerful. Too powerful for every day training. Clearly their father wanted them to wait until they were much older before he taught them how to use it, which he could understand completely.

All too soon, the day came that they attend the Academy. Fon managed to bust Tang Hao before he disappeared.

"I don't know what it is you're hiding from, but I'll do my best to insure Xiao San isn't too badly hurt by the fact you plan to disappear for a while," said Fon.

Tang Hao froze. The tone of his youngest son's voice said that he knew far more than he let on. He had always suspected his sons had old souls in young bodies... Fon more than Tang San.

He turned to face his youngest.

"I can't train either of you. Not this early. The most I can do is to let you spread your wings and fly on your own terms until you are ready to learn."

"I know," said Fon. It was the same reason he didn't train his nephew Kyouya too extensively as a child. Just enough to be considered competent. He wanted to see the boy fly on his own terms without having to be constantly reminded of his uncle's accomplishments. "However leaving small reminders that you are still in the background if we need you would at least keep Xiao San from believing you've abandoned us."

Tang Wu nodded silently.

Before he left, he did leave one bit of parting advice.

"Do not trust Spirit Hall. I don't know what they are planning but they are the reason your mother is dead."

Fon silently acknowledged the warning. He would keep that to himself for now, which was likely why Tang Hao told him and not his brother. Tang San was mature yes, but he was also impetuous enough that he might make an enemy of a larger power before he was even _remotely_ ready to tackle them head-on.

* * *

 _Nuoding Spirit Academy_

Fon watched with open interest as they walked to the academy. Lichi was on his shoulder, acting as his 'spirit' since he would rather hide the fact he had awakened as a dragon. The Elder hadn't liked it much, but agreed it would be best to keep such things quiet since having such a rare and powerful spirit could inspire jealousy from the more established students.

Jealousy that could lead to all sorts of trouble, for both Fon and Tang San since they were working students.

So the form the Elder sent in was slightly altered to say that Fon had a 'beast spirit' but not which one. All the academy knew was that both twins had awakened with full innate spirit.

He couldn't wait to see what was in store for them for the next few years.


	2. Chapter 2

Fon had little patience for braggarts and even less for idiots. So the fact that the gatekeeper was being difficult on purpose _and_ insulting their home village was not something he would idly ignore.

"Xiao San, do you mind if I?"

Tang San nodded and stepped back. Lichi made a point to jump onto his brother's shoulder to allow Fon free range of moment...there was no need to use his dragon on this idiot.

A wicked smirk appeared on Fon's face. It had taken some doing, but he had been able to track down the ingredients for Gyoza-kempo.

Nothing scared the hell out of braggarts like this fool than being 'mysteriously' paralyzed and knocked back by some unknown force. Tang San had given him an odd look when he first used it on him...mostly to see if he had gotten the recipe right...but had quickly accepted the idea of such a style with good humor.

Even if his brother did complain that Fon liked his food far too spicy.

Fon's hands were a blur, and the man was sent flying into the gate.

"Only fools judge those by appearance, rather than by their skills," said Fon calmly, keeping his usual serene smile on his face. "Even a child knows that sometimes hidden gems can be found in a pig's feeding trough."

Fortunately for the gatekeeper, one of the teachers happened to be coming in before Fon humiliated him further.

"Enough."

"Grandmaster, you're back!" said the gatekeeper. While he 'sounded' respectful, there was an undercurrent in his tone that said it wasn't full respect.

Was it possible the man was a pure scholar? That might account for it.

"May I see the paper?" he asked calmly.

Lichi returned to Fon's shoulder as he handed over the pass for both of them.

"Twins?" he said after a moment in surprise. "And with full innate spirit ability. This pass is genuine."

The gatekeeper looked very surprised to hear that, but reluctantly let him through.

Fon's respect for this 'grandmaster' went up when he heard the older man dismiss the idiot who caused the ruckus because he was too stupid to do such a simple job correctly. Clearly the teacher didn't like the way he had disrespected them simply because they came from a rather rural village.

The man the twins would call 'master' set the tone for his competence when...after he busted Tang San for having twin spirits simply based off the fact he had full innate spirit power despite only being a Blue Silver Grass according to the records... he looked to Fon confused.

"Why do you have a four-hundred year old monkey on your shoulder?"

Fon blinked.

"He's four hundred years old? Exactly how long have you been here?" he turned to ask Lichi. The monkey chittered, but didn't 'reply' back.

"My brother decided it was less hassle to pretend Lichi is his beast spirit, rather than allow his actual one to be known."

"That and I heard something about how Spirit Masters use creatures like Lichi to increase their power, and I didn't want some idiot getting ideas," scowled Fon.

"A wise move. So long as none of the other students pick up on the fact the monkey is your 'friend' rather than your spirit, there should be no issue," he admitted. "That being said you should consider carefully what sort of spirit beast you wish to use for your first spirit ring," he replied. "There are variant spirits, though you may wish to come up with a way to 'hide' your friend so the students do not catch on right away."

Fon bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"I had a feeling that it might work, though father made no mention of variant spirits."

"It it not something that is studied often, as variants are often weaker than the norm. Occasionally one is born that is stronger or has a unique attribute, but for the most part they tend to be considered 'weak'," said the man. There was a hint of bitterness in his tone when he said that.

Fon hid a frown. Somehow he had the distinct feeling the man was speaking from personal experience.

"Then it is up to the human to overcome such 'weakness' and to learn not to rely so much on the spirit. Perhaps once that is accomplished the flaw that created the problem can be fixed."

There was a certain hint of respect in the Grandmaster's eyes when Fon said that.

"There are no 'junk spirits' only junk people," agreed Tang San without hesitation. "Everyone keeps saying Blue Silver grass is useless, but then again there are plenty of plants in nature that appear harmless only to contain deadly poisons."

"Or turn out to be unique healing ingredients that can save lives," added Fon.

There was a definite respect in his eyes now.

Fon had no issue acknowledging the man known as the 'Grandmaster' as his teacher, or that he would be sharing him with Tang San. It was clear that where the man lacked ability in the practical (through no fault of his own), he made up for it in valuable knowledge.

And above all else, the twins knew how much power there was to be had in knowledge and diligent studying.

"What are your names?"

"I am Tang San."

"I am Tang Fon, though I do not mind being addressed purely as Fon," said the younger twin, bowing his head in polite respect. "And this is Lichi."

"Call me Grandmaster. It's what everyone else calls me around here. He looked at Fon directly though. "Why are you claiming that your friend is actually your spirit though?"

Fon looked him in the eye.

"Because the last thing I want to deal with is the sycophants that would bother me the second it gets out that my spirit is a dragon," he said flatly. "Far easier to hide behind Lichi's presence than to deal with fools who assume that I would allow them to leech off me like parasites simply because of my spirit or the fact I was born with full innate power like my brother."

"A dragon?" said the grandmaster in shock. Once he made sure there was no one to witness what Fon was about to do, the younger of the twins unleashed his spirit. "Are you by any chance from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan?"

Fon and Tang San shook their heads.

"As far as we know, our father is nothing more than the village blacksmith. Our mother died shortly after we were born, and father never mentions her. He was very shocked when he saw what my spirit was however...apparently she had Blue Silver grass as well," said Fon.

"Besides, if we really _were_ part of an established clan then the elders wouldn't have had to sacrifice their pass for the next two years so both of us could attend," said Tang San.

That seemed to calm the Grandmaster down, though there was still shock evident in his features.

Fon suspected the man knew a bit more about the clan than he let on.

"For now let's get you two registered and settled in. We'll work on getting your first spirit halo before the month is out."

"Yes, teacher," said the twins in unison.

* * *

 _In the dorms..._

Fon immediately _knew_ Xiao Wu was not human the second he met her. Her "Qi" felt entirely different from any other human girl he had been around. In fact she felt more like Lichi than a human, though he suspected her to be some form of rabbit spirit beast considering her features.

It was not his problem to deal with. So long as she did not prove a threat to his twin he had no issue with her training with them as a fellow student.

"Ah, a monkey!" said Xiao Wu.

Lichi chittered happily and jumped on the girl's shoulder, looking very content around her. Fon smiled.

"Lichi seems to like you. That usually means you're a good person," he said calmly.

"Is this your spirit beast?" asked Xiao Wu with interest.

"He's my friend," corrected Fon. He then added in a low tone so only she heard what he said next. "I wasn't about to leave a friend behind when everyone would mistake him for my Martial Soul. Besides, this way no one would hunt him for his spirit ring later."

It took her a few moments to process this, before Xiao Wu beamed at him. Clearly she liked the fact Fon was willing to befriend a spirit beast _and_ protect him from spirit masters who just wanted his ring to add to their own power.

"I'm actually rather curious. Where did you learn that particular style of martial arts? You wouldn't believe how often I hear people ask whether or not my braid gets in the way of a fight."

Xiao Wu eyed Fon's slightly long hair which was done up in a braid the same way her own was, just without the decorations.

"I could show you how to use it offensively, if you want," she offered.

Fon smiled at her.

"How about we exchange pointers. I can think of several styles that would suit your natural flexibility and make your own attacks even more effective," he said in return.

Tang San snickered.

"You are such a fanboy when it comes to fighting styles brother. I haven't seen you this enthusiastic since we started exchanging pointers together," said Tang San.

"I like to learn how to improve myself, something you have as well brother," said Fon hiding a grin. At least he wouldn't be bored... Xiao Wu had already proven tricky enough to defeat even his brother, and her style was unique enough that it had even his jaded interest in it.

Besides...she had found a way to successfully incorporate her braid into her fighting style. There was no way in hell Fon was passing that up, if only so people would quit making comments about the fact he had one of his own!

Fon and Tang San were in the grandmaster's personal office.

"Tang San, for your training I want you to focus on adding 'poison' and 'toughness' to your grass spirit. While Blue Silver grass is indeed a 'weak' spirit, it is also flexible enough that it will not easily reject spirit rings from beasts so long as there is enough compatibility. I believe you have the natural abilities of a 'control' specialist," said Grandmaster.

He fully intended to have Tang San be the one to prove his theories were right. He could tell the boy had the ability to do it, and to finally give him some vindication for all the years he spent researching.

"As for you, Tang Fon... I believe you are a 'battle' or 'agility' type. You are the sort who would do well in powerful blows that strike at a moment's notice without retreating until your allies are prepared to back you up. Like a storm that pounds upon the glass without relenting until it's energy is spent and it dissipates."

"In other words I must become the 'eye' of the storm that fights off the more powerful fighters, allowing my brother to direct where the next blows will hit and when," said Fon.

There was a certain level of irony in the idea. Fortunately he already had the mindset to remain calm in the face of adversity, which was one of the flaws all Storms had.

He nodded.

Tang San looked at his twin and tried not to laugh.

"Is there something funny?" asked the Grandmaster.

"It's just... Fon already embodies that idea. He used to drive the other children in the village to anger with his comments and blunt observations because of the way they spoke about our father, and yet he would always maintain that smile of his while _they_ got into trouble for trying to start a fight with the adults. If anyone fits the image of the 'eye of the storm', it's Fon."

The Grandmaster had to smile at that.

"No starting fights here," he said firmly.

"I don't _start_ fights, but I certainly intend to finish them," said Fon. He wasn't an actual child, after all. "That being said I would suggest that you get Xiao San's ring first, considering the fools here would believe his spirit is 'weak'. I can handle waiting a few days," said Fon.

The Grandmaster nodded. It would be easier to hunt their spirit rings one at a time and this allowed him to focus on getting the perfect one for Tang San on the first try. And if he was really lucky, prove his theories once and for all.

Besides, it would be rather difficult to find a good ring for a dragon. It was better not to rush their development, especially when Fon could focus on theory until they found something suitable.

* * *

Fon's hand lashed out and grabbed the arrogant fool who tried to take Xiao Wu's comb. It was clearly something precious, likely a momento of her dead mother (she had a habit of crying in her sleep) and he had no tolerance for bullies.

"Let go, you pathetic twit! You're just a low-level monkey spirit!" sneered the boy.

Fon gave him a level Look.

"All students are equal in the Academy. Besides, I don't need to rely on my spirit to defeat you," said Fon evenly.

Seeing the sneer of the students able to pay their way into the academy, Fon maintained his serene smile. This would be a good test of his skills, and since Tang San was off getting his first spirit ring it meant he could have a bit of fun.

"What are you doing!" hissed Xiao Wu.

"He was trying to steal that comb of yours. I think he intended to break it because you defied him so openly despite being a working student," said Fon in a low voice. "Besides, if I beat him without my spirit abilities then he'll be forced to acknowledge our dorm as his equals or lose face."

Xiao Wu had a strange expression on her face. Especially when Fon took Lichi and put him on her shoulder.

"Keep him company, will you?"

Xiao Wu held Lichi in her arms, that odd expression still prevelant.

Though she wasn't the only one to stare in shock when Fon proceeded to beat the crap out of the other students who made fun of them for needing jobs to help pay for minor expenses at the academy...all without once releasing his spirit abilities. The boy used pure martial arts and skill to defeat supposedly stronger students.

Xiao Wu blinked a little when she felt a gentle hand ruffle her hair.

"Don't worry little sister... Tang San and I will look after you," he said fondly.

Xiao Wu stared after Fon who took the 'congratulations' of the other students with aplomb. He barely looked fazed by the fact he had displayed so much strength and wasn't even remotely trying to brag about it. And the way he patted her head...it had the same 'feel' as her mother when she did it.

A few days later, Tang San returned.

"I heard you got into a fight without me."

"To be fair, they were planning to break Xiao Wu's comb," said Fon.

"...Were they any good?" asked Tang San.

Fon gave him a flat look.

"Really? I didn't even have to break out my more advanced moves, much less my abilities. They're children... I just informed them who is at the top of the pecking order. Though they might require a reminder not to mess with the working students regardless," said Fon.

Tang San snorted at that.

Fon's words prove true when less than a week later, while he was out with the Grandmaster getting his first spirit ring, Tang San and Xiao Wu had to reinforce the fact that the working class students were not weak. On an unrelated note, Xiao Wu managed to get the entire Academy to call her "Big Sister Xiao Wu" in less than a day after the incident. Tang San and Fon were happy to let her deal with that headache.

(Even if Fon was quietly cackling at the fact Xiao Wu and Tang San were clearly tied by the 'red string of fate'. While the bunny didn't mind treating him like an older brother, there was clearly some potential interest that could develop into something more between her and Tang San.)


	3. Chapter 3

Fon was in a good mood. Not only had he found a twin brother in this life who was enough like him that they had no quarrel, but he had also found an adorable little sister to dote and protect. Xiao Wu was so put out when she realized Fon was quickly catching up to her speed, forcing her to compensate and become faster.

That being said, Fon knew Xiao Wu was planning to 'add' a ring to her 'beast spirit' in order to maintain the illusion she was human. He suspected she might be a mythical "hundred thousand year spirit beast", which would explain why it was so rare to find one. If they could disguise themselves as human, it was a very effective way to keep the spirit masters from hunting them down so easily. That plus the way Xiao Wu had taken to maintain her 'levels' to match their own helped with her disguise.

Fon didn't want something as ridiculous as this to be kept between them.

Xiao Wu was in a clearing, and had no idea Fon was watching. She nearly bolted when she registered the fact Lichi was there, which always meant Fon was nearby.

"How much did you see?" she demanded. He could see fear in her eyes.

Fon calmly walked up to her and frowned when she flinched.

"Little bunny, I knew from the start you weren't human," he said gently, stroking her ears. Xiao Wu leaned into the gentle touch. "Since you proved that you weren't a threat to me or my brother, I had no reason to mention it. I was just curious to see how you planned to keep hiding the fact you aren't human."

"You... you're not going to tell anyone?" she said in disbelief.

"Xiao San would be upset if I let something as ridiculous as the fact that you're clearly a hundred thousand year spirit beast be the reason that you were gone. If I actually cared about that sort of thing, I never would have hidden Lichi as my beast spirit, considering he's the sort of thing they would hunt in order to add to their own power," said Fon gently.

Xiao Wu started to tear up.

"Why do you let him hide as your beast spirit? Is your own really that weak?" she demanded.

She flinched when she felt Fon gather his own spirit up... it was something he did very rarely and almost never around witnesses. Her eyes widened in absolute shock at the regal power of the dragon he contained, as well as the powerful hammer in his left hand.

"Tang San isn't the only one with twin spirits. I just prefer to train myself before I train my beast spirit. After all, how can I ever gain it's respect if I have to rely on it's power all the time to defeat those before me?" said Fon.

Xiao Wu could understand that perfectly. It made far more sense to treat your beast spirit with the same respect one would a spirit beast, rather than a tool like everyone else did. It also explain Fon's rapid growth... he was training himself first and his spirit second, all while hiding behind Lichi to explain why he never used it.

"You're not going to tell anyone... are you?" she asked timidly.

Fon smiled at her.

"It's not my secret to tell. The only reason I knew you weren't human was because your Qi felt wrong. Though if I were you I would avoid the higher tier spirit masters. Somehow I have the feeling they would figure it out just as quickly as I did," said Fon, ruffling her ears. "Besides... outside of Xiao San you're the only one who's able to keep up with me properly. Who would I exchange pointers with then?"

The relief in her eyes hearing that was immeasurable. Tang San had a strange look in his eyes when he saw how close his brother was to Xiao Wu, but Fon was quick to put that worry to rest.

"I found out something she doesn't want known. She's just happy I agreed to keep my silence without asking. It's not my secret to tell. Besides, even I can tell she likes you more than me in certain areas," said Fon.

Fon had to hide a smile when he realized how clueless his brother was. Had his brother been a virgin in his last life, only focusing on cultivating? It would explain a lot about his behavior, because he never saw Tang San look at females the same way most boys did.

 _A few months later..._

Fon fully expected this, but it didn't make the blow any less painful. Finding an empty home had never hurt as much before.

While Tang San went to talk to Xiao Wu (Fon agreed to make a 'mild' dinner, which meant he would only add spice to his) he searched the house thoroughly.

Which was why he found it, and promptly hid the letter from Tang San.

" _Xiao Fon_

 _I know you will likely find this before your brother, which is why I'm intrusting this to you. I am leaving to regain some of my lost strength, as well as catch up on all that I missed while you two were growing up. Rumors have reached me of late that Spirit Hall is definitely up to something and I want to find the full scope of the issue. I will try to contact you once you're old enough to join the intermediate academy._

 _Remember, do not trust Spirit Hall._

 _I trust you to watch over Tang San in my place, until the time is right._

 _Tang Hao."_

Tang Hao had left a familiar token, only _all_ of the jewels were placed in it. He had suspected their father was strong, but this made him believe that Tang Hao was likely a Titled Doulou. Which meant that he would be able to direct his inquiries to the Grandmaster a little better to get proper information.

He had no doubt Tang Hao had made contact with the man, if the way he observed the twins was any indication. The only reason Tang Hao even bothered to leave the letter was likely because he knew Fon would keep his silence.

Seeing the way the two interacted when they got back, Fon hid a smile. Those two would make a cute couple, and Xiao Wu's forceful nature was a perfect counterpart to Tang San's passive-aggressive tendencies.

The man most knew only as "Grandmaster" could only shake his head when he thought of the recent change in his life. Every since he took on Tang San and Tang Fon as his personal disciples, he had very little expectations outside of seeing them grow.

He never thought in a million years that one of his students would provide an answer to a problem that had plagued him for decades!

Fon was an enigma, more so than his brother. It was clear there was an old soul behind his gaze, one that felt almost like a kindred spirit to his own.

He had taken _one_ look at Luo San Pao's only real attack, and rather than scoff at the fact such a proud man was forced to use his beast spirit in such a manner had instead gained an intrigued expression on his face.

That was the first time he learned of Gyoza-kempo, and the similarity between it and Luo San Pao's "attacks" were startling. He never though to use San Pao's farts as a way to temporarily paralyze an enemy before striking a finishing blow.

Even if it meant he had to grow used to the smell of garlic, he was already predisposed to the style since he didn't pass out from eating the "special buns" Fon shared with him. After all, he had to endure the smell San Pao let loose every time he attacked for years!

Fon was a godsend to his own personal cultivation, while his brother was the one who would vindicate all the 'ridiculous theories' he had spent a lifetime studying.

The Grandmaster had to smile to himself. Thanks to Fon's training methods he had done what he had thought impossible. He had broken through the thirtieth rank, to the shock of many.

Who knew the entire reason his spirit was unable to get stronger was because he hadn't been training _himself_ this whole time? Fon's method was slightly brutal, but there was no denying that his own beast spirit was getting even stronger than normal because he wasn't relying on it to be his sole method of attacking.

He heard someone come in, and almost balked when he registered the presence of Tang Hao. Clearly he intended to insure his sons would be well cared for until they moved to the next stage of training.

He fully intended to send them to Shrek Academy once they were old enough, if their cultivation continued to grow at the rate they were going.

Tang Hao blinked when he realized that the Grandmaster was at level thirty, after several decades of being level twenty-eight.

"How?"

"Your son, Tang Fon, is a genius. He found a way to strengthen a beast spirit beyond what I thought possible all because he trains himself first and the spirit second. Everyone in the Academy fully believes at this point that his monkey is actually his beast spirit," he replied.

Only a select few were aware Fon was a dragon, and even fewer still (namely Fon, Tang San and the grandmaster) knew he had twin spirits. And Fon liked to keep it that way. He prefered to rely on his own skill first and use his beast spirit as an amplifier.

Grandmaster had to admit, his explanation made a great deal of sense when he asked why. Treating the dragon spirit within him as a seperate but equal entity was a brilliant move. Dragons did not like _submitting_ to anyone, especially a human. However they could learn to _cooperate_ with a human if the human was worthy of such respect.

He had noticed his own cultivation making significant improvement when he stopped trying to 'control' San Pao as a lesser part of him and started treating him as an equal who was just as worthy of respect, even if his attack was embarrassing. It was as if his beast spirit had been fighting him because he allowed his situation to keep him weak.

It was doubtful he would ever ascend past forty, much less fifty at this stage. But at the very least he was finally making improvements after twenty years and that was more than he had dared to hope for.

Tang Hao was silent.

Grandmaster had to smile.

"Your sons are amazingly gifted, though I find it odd that they both managed to obtain the same spirit ring from two different beasts."

"...What do you mean?"

"Tang San and Fon both managed to kill a Datura snake for their first ring. For Tang San, it gave him control and a paralytic poison to his Blue Silver grass. For Fon, it improved his dragon's agility and gave it a strong immunity to all lesser poisons. I wasn't expecting to find _two_ of that breed in such a minor forest."

From what he could tell, Tang San had killed the male and Fon killed it's mate when it smelled him. Apparently it had recognized the Grandmaster's scent...or perhaps that of the lingering poison from it's mate...from the visit he made a week before. Either way he found it strange that the twins ended up getting identical beasts for their first ring.

"Fon is in many ways the older of the two...despite the fact he's actually younger than Xiao San by five minutes," admitted Tang Hao.

He could see his sons were in good hands. Tang San would grow exponentially under the other man's tutelage and the Grandmaster would insure Fon didn't accidentally leave his twin behind.

 _Five years later..._

"Any reason Grandmaster wants us to go to this no-name academy?" asked Xiao Wu.

"It's not actually a no-name academy, but the standards for acceptance are ridiculously strict. Besides, he's personal friends with the headmaster of the place," said Fon.

"You didn't have to come with us, you know," said Tang San, only half-joking.

Xiao Wu pouted at him.

Five years had created a distinct change in the trio.

Xiao Wu was clearly beginning to grow into her own body and there was no doubt she would be a real beauty when she was older. She still wore cute clothes that were all rabbit-themed, but the twins knew she was just as deadly as they were. She was the spoiled sister of their odd family and she loved every minute of that fact.

Lichi had grown a little as well, having passed into the 'five-hundred' mark. Fon was pleased by this, because the stronger his little companion became the harder it would be for other spirit masters to kill him for his ring. He still looked like a small white monkey though.

Besides, he found it hilarious everyone just assumed Lichi was a variant spirit that belonged to Fon, rather than a spirit beast that took a liking to him.

Fon wore clothing that was as close as he had been able to get to his old ones, with a few minor tweaks. For example he no longer bothered with the long robe style and stuck to a slightly longer shirt with long sleeves, long white pants and comfortable shoes. His braid was almost as long as Xiao Wu's and was generally the easiest way to tell the twins apart. The shirt was in his favorite red color and it had taken some serious doing to get the familiar dragon tattoo on his left shoulder without anyone finding out until it was too late.

The grandmaster had not been pleased when he found out, but there was little he could say of the matter when it was already done with. Either way he gave Fon quite a long and painful lecture about being reckless with his body like that.

Tang San had said nothing, especially when he heard Fon's reply as to why he did it. He could understand perfectly the feeling of wanting something familiar to anchor him and remind him of his life before, even if it was something as ridiculous as a tattoo. The fact it looked very cool and _almost_ made Tang San consider getting one of his own...had the Grandmaster not taken preemptive measures and made very sure _both_ twins heard his views on the matter very clearly.

Tang San didn't want to disappoint the strongest father figure in his life, so he decided against it.

Fon wondered if that would last when teenage rebellion naturally hit...or if Tang San would do it just to piss off Tang Hao.

Seeing the hotel Xiao Wu picked, Fon had to sigh. Some days he really questioned why they kept spoiling her so.

Fon was content to let Tang San deal with the arrogant tiger. It was clear the other teen had no intention of taking things too seriously, and just wanted to preserve his ego.

That being said, he would put his foot down if things went south.

"Xiao San, we spoil her too much," said Fon.

Tang San nodded in tired agreement, but they both loved Xiao Wu (in different ways, but they still cared about her greatly) so it was hard to say no.

That being said...

"Xiao Wu, I think it's time I teach you about what the word propriety means..." sighed Fon.

"What?" said Xiao Wu baffled.

Fon gently took her aside, much to the relief of Tang San and gave her a quick run down.

"When females start to have their monthlies, it's generally considered _improper_ for males to share their bed with them, regardless of whether or not there's any familial connection. I know you're comfortable around Tang San and myself, but it looks bad on us all if we still share a bed at this age unless it's with a group," said Fon carefully. "The only time it is considered acceptable is if the female and the male intend to mate or are together as mates."

Xiao Wu blushed at the idea, before casting a quick glance at Tang San. Fon politely ignored the fact that she _liked_ his twin in a romantic sense, whereas they had a firm "older brother/younger sister" relationship.

"So we can't share the room?" she asked.

Fon sighed.

"No, it just means Tang San and I will be sleeping on the couch while you take the bed. Sharing a room is acceptable, it's just sharing the bed with you isn't since we're no longer children," he explained patiently.

Xiao Wu pouted at that.

"Does that mean Lichi can't stay either?"

"Lichi is different. If he wants to share your bed with you, then I have no arguments against it," said Fon smiling.

Xiao Wu smirked, as if she had won an argument.


	4. Chapter 4

Fon was mildly impressed with Shrek Academy. He could get behind a school that had _actual_ standards and didn't compromise just to earn money. That being said, he was still rather bored with the whole thing.

"Tang Fon, level twenty-nine beast spirit master," said Fon.

"Age acceptable, power level, acceptable. Head right in with the others."

Fon followed his twin and Xiao Wu, though his nose perked up at the smell of fresh cooked sausages.

While the wording the other teen used was mildly disturbing, it wasn't an indication of the quality produced.

"Fon, you're really going to eat that?" asked Tang San with open dismay.

Fon made sure the older teen was watching as he bit into it.

"Just because the production method is mildly disturbing doesn't mean the quality will be poor. And really Xiao San, is it any different from watching what a butcher puts into normal sausages?" said Fon with polite exasperation at the look on his brother's face.

Oscar however beamed at him. No one ever ordered his sausages without being forced into it on a dare. It was rather disheartening.

"That being said I'll have five more," said Fon with a grin.

"You got it!" said Oscar with open enthusiasm, and he happily accepted the coins Fon gave him. Finally, someone who appreciated his hard work!

"You got the spices just right and the texture was perfect. Not to mention the balance of the meat and the vegetables," said Fon, eating another. "All in all it's not half bad."

"Please don't encourage him, he's annoying enough as it is," said Mubai.

"Is it his fault that his spirit chant turned out like that?" countered Fon evenly. "It's not like we have control over how the chant comes out... just look at what the Grandmaster has to put up with whenever he uses his."

Tang San wanted to counter, but instead he looked thoughtful.

"You're not trying to boost his pride are you?" asked Tang San.

"Do I look like the sort of person who would bother with that, brother?" said Fon.

Tang San went up to Oscar, who blinked in surprise.

"I'll try one," he said, handing over a copper. Much to disbelief of Mubai.

Tang San was mildly surprised that the flavor and quality was just as good as his brother said. Then again Fon wasn't one to praise idly.

Xiao Wu had an odd look on her face, though Oscar was rather pleased when Tang San ordered more.

"It's not as bad as Mubai made it out to be, and it's pretty easy to ignore the chant he uses," admitted Tang San. After all, he had learned very quickly to tune out the somewhat embarassing chant his master used when San Pao attacked.

If he could get used to that, there was no reason to ignore the wording Oscar used to make his sausages.

Oscar sent a look of gratitude towards Fon, because after seeing a few people actually eat his sausages he got a few more orders. Once the applicants got over the chant, they quickly found out that he actually knew what he was doing. This was the most luck he had selling his food.

Mubai still gave Fon an odd look for being the one to try it out in the first place.

"I'm still not eating his creations."

"That is your decision," said Fon.

Thanks to the fact their power was so high, they were allowed to skip straight to the fourth test. Fon was rather looking forward to it, as it was a live combat scenario.

"Fresh meat, Mubai?" asked a voice.

Mubai scowled.

"You know I hate it when you do that," he said flatly.

"Mu. Then pay me to stop," said a voice.

Fon perked up when he heard that tone. It had been so long since he heard it, but he recognized it anywhere. Next to him Tang San took note of his brother's reaction.

A cloaked figure appeared with a black frog on their head. There were odd tattoos under the area where their eyes would be, and most of their figure was hidden by their outfit.

"This is Viper, and they're a level thirty-four support master," said Mubai with obvious annoyance. "As you can see, they like to hide in the shadows a lot."

"Are you a boy or a girl?" asked Xiao Wu rudely.

"Pay me enough and I'll tell you," said Viper.

Fon was openly trying not to grin now. There was only one person he knew who acted like that.

Tang San hid a grin of his own, noticing his twin's interest.

" _I still say martial arts are superior to illusions,"_ said Fon clearly in Italian. Everyone looked confused by the fact he spoke another language, save for one person.

Viper went stiff, before they looked at him hard.

" _That's because you're an idiot,"_ said Viper with a huff in the same language, and they disappeared as if they hadn't been there in the first place.

"Brother, what was that?" asked Xiao Wu.

"It's nothing, little sister. It seems an old friend I haven't seen in a very long time is being as difficult as always," said Fon cheerfully.

Tang San shared a look with his brother. Fon nodded slightly at the unspoken question in his eyes. He relaxed...clearly this Viper was someone who was from Fon's previous life, and through some miracle of fate ended up in the same place as him.

"There you two go again, having secret conversations!" pouted Xiao Wu.

Fon chuckled.

"We're twins, what did you expect?"

"How are you two twins? You look almost nothing alike!" said Rong Rong.

"That's only because our personal preferences run differently," said Tang San. "Before you ask, I'm the oldest and Fon is the youngest. People always get that mixed up for some reason."

Mubai had a headache. Fortunately there was a cure for that, and that was a good fight.

Sadly it was not to be as one of the teachers was apparently bored enough to stand in as the one performing the fourth test.

 _Some time later..._

Fon wasn't smiling. At first the test had seemed in 'good fun' to him, though he knew Viper was watching. It was a good way for the others to test out their compatibility as a team, and his brother seemed to be enjoying himself.

And then he saw Xiao Wu get hurt enough that she coughed up blood from her ability backlashing on her. What had seemed like a fun test of his skills swiftly turned into a reason to take the man seriously.

Fon shared a look with his brother, who was absolutely furious Xiao Wu was hurt so badly.

"Lichi, stay with Xiao Wu," he said calmly, but there was the clear undercurrent of a storm about to be unleashed.

"I think he's definitely earned a full demonstration of our capabilities, don't you brother?" said Tang San angrily.

"Indeed," said Fon, eyes already glowing red.

For the first time since they met him, Fon activated his spirit ability. Mubai wasn't the only one to sputter in absolute shock.

"What the actual fuck?! I thought your spirit beast was the monkey!"

"Actually Lichi is more of a 'friend' than his spirit beast," corrected Tang San. "Fon just hates having to deal with idiots who think sucking up to him will miraculously make them stronger."

As if the red dragon scales on Fon's skin weren't enough, his hands were glowing an ominous red that matched the color of his eyes. Beside him, Tang San's eyes were glowing a violet-indigo that was almost identical to when he used his mystic eyes technique.

Fon could sense Viper sit up and take notices as Tang San used Mist flames to create weapons he had become familiar with in his previous life, only for his Cloud flames to replicate them into a hail of deadly rain.

Zhao Wu knew instinctively he was screwed if either of the twins came within range of him.

And then Fon did something that really made him panic. He sent out a _dragon_ made of red fire, likely some form of spirit ability. Whatever the dragon touched disintergrated into nothing, to the shock of those watching. The thing that struck Mubai most was the fact Fon wasn't smiling. There was a hard, serious line on his face and there was no serene expression in his eyes.

If the older man didn't pull a miracle out of his ass he was almost certainly screwed.

So it was with great relief when Zhao Wu declared a forfeit. He would never underestimate the twin monsters ever again... especially the long haired dragon who hadn't taken the test seriously until he made the mistake of pissing him off.

He had no doubts in his mind that Fon wouldn't hesitate to murder him in cold blood.

"How is Xiao Wu?" asked Fon seriously.

"She's fine, just exhausted and needs some rest," said Rong Rong quickly. She hadn't thought much of the smiling teen, who thought of the entire test where they had tried their hardest as a game.

After seeing what he could do when he was motivated however, she made a note to never get on his bad side. He was absolutely _terrifying_ unenhanced by her powers.

Tang San looked exhausted, but relieved.

"Now you see why Fon uses Lichi to hide what his actual beast spirit is," said Tang San.

Seeing the multiple nods around him Tang San chuckled.

Fon was generally rather easy going and took things in stride, but once he was angered...well, not even Tang San wanted to get on the wrong side of him.

"Mu. You're still a pain in the ass as always," said Viper.

"What do you want?" asked Mubai.

"I can share a room with Fon if you want to put Tang San with Oscar. That should create minimal conflict," said Viper simply.

Mubai stared at Viper, before nodding. They had tried to put Viper in with one of the others, but there was always a conflict over their miserly attitude. That they would willingly offer to room with one of the twins, and the most terrifying one at that, was a relief.

Though after seeing the instinctive way Tang San and Fon fought together, Mubai had an easier time believing they were twins in the first place. You don't become that aware of another person in you attack radius without a lot of time together. Or a natural bond that gave you a sixth sense where the other was.

Fon woke up in an unfamiliar room...with Viper next to them.

"Mu. I thought I was alone in this world. Everything is rather confusing here," said Viper.

Fon smiled, and without a second thought pulled Viper down to kiss them. The Mist let out a squawk of surprise, before calming down and kissing him back.

"I think you're going to love training with my brother. He's got a good knack for illusions though it took him forever to combine it with his Cloud flames. That being said he could use a little help in the creativity department when it comes to using his Mist."

"Mu... at least I have someone tolerable to watch my back again," said Viper with relief.

Fon could only smile in agreement. His brother had Xiao Wu, and now he had his favorite Mist with him again. He had missed the comradeship and light bickering he had with Viper, so this was a pleasant surprise to say the least.

"That being said, how the hell did you end up as a dragon when you have the surname Tang?!" demanded Viper baffled.

"What's so important about that?" asked Fon curious.

Grandmaster had admitted their father was a Titled Doulou, but wouldn't clarify beyond that for certain reasons. Fon hadn't bothered to press since he didn't think it was important.

Viper gave him a scathing look.

"The last time someone with the surname of 'Tang' was active, they were a direct descendant of the least known clan known as the 'Clear Sky Hammer' sect. It made up the majority of the strongest 'tool' spirits and the direct descendants almost always had a hammer as their Martial Spirit. Just like the Blue Lightning Tyrant clan throws out dragons and Rong Rong's throws out support specialists. For you to have a dragon and your brother Blue Silver grass as your spirits, it makes it really suspicious."

"...And if we happened to have twin spirits?" asked Fon. This was more information than he could have gotten from the Grandmaster.

"...Extremely rare, but not impossible," conceded Viper. "That being said I only had limited information on the clan since they went into hiding after an argument with Spirit Hall over a decade ago. No one is sure what sparked it, but a Titled Doulou went missing after."

Fon closed his eyes.

Suddenly a lot of facts made started to make sense.

The fact their father was in hiding in such a rural village, despite his strength. The fact both he _and_ the Grandmaster insisted they keep their secondary spirits hidden. The seclusion of an entire clan after an unknown dispute almost wiped them out, and the fact that Tang Hao refused to speak on why their mother was killed in the first place.

Fon could only come to the conclusion that there was something unique about their mother that caused Spirit Hall to go after her. Naturally their father would do everything in his power to protect her, only to fail either because of injury or the effects of giving birth to twins. As a result, their father decided to go into hiding with his sons, and the clan disappeared because he couldn't see them at least trying to assist one of their most powerful and noteworthy members. Odds were that when he failed, Spirit Hall decided to strike back, forcing them to hide for the most part.

Fon could think of several things that would cause Spirit Hall to go after a Titled Doulou so brazenly. But only one thing came to mind that made any sense as to why they would risk such a heavy loss of resources... at least with the information he had available.

"Can you get me a better idea what happened between the incident regarding the disappearance of a Titled Doulou and Spirit Hall?"

"I can try, my informants aren't likely to get much considering how much time has passed. Odds are that Spirit Hall has managed to silence them by this point."

"Fair enough. Worst case scenario I confront Tang Hao myself and get answers. But could you not tell Tang San anything about this? He has no idea who our father is, much less why he was told to keep the hammer hidden."

Viper nodded in agreement. If Fon wanted to keep his twin in the dark, then obviously he had a good reason to do so.


	5. Chapter 5

Mubai looked at Fon with a great deal of respect. He had never met a spirit master who fought purely with skill and only used his Martial Soul as a way to augment his combat ability.

"How the hell did you level up your dragon so fast? It's almost to the thirtieth level."

"The problem I find with most beast spirit masters is that they try to force dominance on their spirit, as if that is the only way to use their abilities. While that might work with a passive beast like a turtle or a wolf, it's much more difficult to pull off with larger, more predatory beasts like tigers or dragons. They are used to establishing dominance in their territory and fighting off rivals in order to maintain their superiority in the food chain," said Fon. "My inner dragon respects me as a potential partner and equal because I don't fight him for dominance. I earned his respect by becoming strong _without_ relying on him for power, and by only bringing him out for worthy opponents. It's much easier to coexist than it is to fight for control."

Mubai had a thoughtful look at the idea.

It had never occurred to him to try _coexisting_ with the tiger he had inside his soul. To try and match it's power with his own as an equal, rather than establish dominance. It might tolerate him, but it certainly didn't respect him one bit. His will was far too weak.

Viper however was having a long chat with Tang San regarding the purpose of the Mist. They could at least respect the fact Tang San preferred to use his weapons than to get too close to an opponent.

So long as the teen would agree to supply them with some weapons, free of charge.

 _With Tang San and Viper_

"So you knew my brother in his past life?" asked Tang San quietly.

"Mu. Fon told you?"

"He's not the only one who reincarnated, and it was easier to exchange pointers without having to hide the fact we knew too much about fighting," admitted Tang San.

Viper took a good long look at Tang San, before silently coming to the conclusion he wasn't from their world. Probably came from a different one, if the knowledge of hidden weapons was any indication. From what they had been able to glean, Tang San spent the majority of his life in relative seclusion so there was no way to tell for sure.

"Mu. So long as you're willing to actually listen and pay attention I'll help you improve your abilities to create illusions. From what I saw you're a control-type specialist, so this would allow you to heard your opponents into a direction for maximum impact, as well as befuddle them so they don't see your team coming," said Viper.

Tang San was clearly interested. At most he could create weapons he remembered, but that was about all he could do with his flames. He was simply too busy to mess around with illusions the way Viper was describing without someone to train him properly.

He had to admit, the expression on the teacher's faces when they saw Viper and Fon exchange pointers later without holding back was _hilarious_. Apparently this was the first time they saw how skilled the other teen was.

Viper had a very rare and terrifying spirit known as the Beguiling Mist Viper. They lived in swamps and often bewitched their prey with illusions that were nearly impossible to detect, and had a habit of appearing when the mist was out. Despite being quite strong physically and mentally, their most devastating ability was their hold over the mind. They could turn allies against each other, or turn enemies into temporary allies.

You wouldn't think that it was a snake at all from the way it looked, but it was.

( _A/N: Think the Child that belonged to Yukino called Diana from the_ Mai-Hime _series to get an idea of what Viper's beast spirit looks like and the ability it has.)_

After seeing even a fraction of what Viper was capable of with their illusions, Tang San had to admit even he would be wary of them. Fortunately it seemed the other teen was very attached to Fon and was thus unlikely to become his enemy anytime soon.

Fon was waiting on the outskirts of the academy, well outside the area Tang San could sense. He didn't have to wait long.

"You actually found me," said a voice.

Closer inspection revealed Tang Hao.

Fon barely opened his eyes. Xiao Wu wasn't the first to compare him to a smiling fox.

"I've been expecting your arrival. If you want me to pass along any messages or letters to Tang San, I will be happy to do so. He still has no idea we're even in contact with each other."

Tang San had more or less taken to the Grandmaster as a surrogate father figure. However Fon had adapted a different relationship with their actual father. He didn't treat Tang Hao as a 'respected father' but an unusual ally, which he seemed to sense. It was something of a relief, because Tang San reminded him far too much of their mother already, whereas Fon was much more jaded and set in his ways.

"You are aware what that girl is."

"If you're referring to Xiao Wu, I've already confronted her about it. She is no threat to us."

"Spirit Hall will come for her, just as they did your mother," warned Tang Hao. "You two attract too much notice for someone not to realize what she is."

The sharp spike of absolute killing intent came from Fon, just for a split second. But Tang Hao caught it just the same.

"They can _try_. I sincerely doubt they will have encountered someone fully capable of disintergrating large groups in mass, and I have yet to find anything capable of blocking my flames," said Fon. There was a sense of absolute death and destruction in his tone. And it was true...he had yet to encounter anything that could block even a fraction of his Storm flames.

Illusions and a veritable rain of weapons were one thing... but disintergration at the levels Fon could produce when he was well and truly motivated?

The Grandmaster had been heartily glad of the boy's control the first and only time Fon demonstrated it. Xiao Wu had felt comforted on many different levels.

Tang Hao tossed something to Fon.

"For your brother. I'm rather curious to see what sort of treasures he will produce."

Fon bowed in acknowledgement...he could tell from the feel alone that it contained forging materials for Tang San to play with. Tang Hao was not the best father, but he did care in his own way. He was disheartened and a drunk, but he had never once been abusive. For that reason alone Fon tolerated him.

Fon waited until morning when Tang San woke up.

"I have a surprise for you."

Fon lead his brother to the forge he had acquired for him...and revealed the contents of the heavy bag.

"Where did you get all this?"

"The forge was already here. These, however, came from a certain someone. We're still not ready to learn the full extent of our 'other' spirit, so he was unwilling to show himself for more than half an hour at most. He told me to give this to you to show he's proud of you for making it this far," said Fon.

Which was more or less true, even if Tang Hao didn't say as much.

Tang San was disappointed, as he dearly missed their father. But the fact he showed up at all did raise his spirits some.

"Also, he's the reason teacher Zhao Wu looked like he had the crap beaten out of him," said Fon. Tang San sweatdropped at that.

The older twin looked at the materials and brightened. These were expensive or hard to find metals and ores, perfect for some of the more intricate items he could make. And while Fon had no interest in the forging process and only minimal interest in hidden weapons, his control with his flames were second to none and made it easier to cut them into whatever shape Tang San might need. Fon rather enjoyed that sort of exercise, since it required actual concentration and patience.

Tang San decided to put their father's visit out of mind...though he had to wonder why Tang Hao appeared before Fon and not him.

Fon sighed at the look on his brother's face.

"Xiao San, while you are indeed mature and steady for your 'age', you are still too rash. You barely made it to thirty in your last life, and most young men only settle down by their forties, if they're lucky. There's also the fact that you were quite secluded as well, which meant you were severely lacking in socializing with others your own age. You might thrive under clan politics, but in the real world you still have a lot of learning to do," said Fon.

"What about you?" asked Tang San. It stung, but he knew the truth of Fon's words. He had never thought about the situation from that angle.

"I lived until eighty, and spent most of that time among the worst of society acting as a neutral party and assassin. Even Tang Hao picked up on the fact I'm an old fogey in a new body," said Fon, joking. "At most our father treats us the same way he would treat the Grandmaster."

Tang San could accept that explanation.

"If you can prove you are mature and level-headed enough to handle certain information when we go to get our third rings, then I'll share something Viper told me shortly after we entered as full students here. I have solid leads, but no real proof however. Also...if I were you, I would use these materials to produce the most lethal and effective weapons you can."

"Why?" asked Tang San. It wasn't usual for Fon to specifically tell him to make extra lethal weapons.

"Something father told me when he arrived. He said that once we start making enough waves, that certain people will be after Xiao Wu specifically...like they went after mother."

"Enemies?" asked Tang San, suddenly in his old mindset of kill or be killed.

"I would like to meet someone with the sort of power level our father has who _doesn't_ have enemies. No, this will be because the higher ups will notice us, and if she's not careful Xiao Wu's secret will be exposed. And there will be far too many powers in this world after her once that happens," said Fon.

Tang San had always sensed there was something special about Xiao Wu. But for Fon to put it like that... well, clearly she was someone far more mysterious than he had ever believed.

"What sort of powers are we talking about?"

"Her secret is big enough that even Titled Doulou would not hesitate to go after her," said Fon bluntly.

Tang San immediately went into weapon-creation mode. Just hearing that was enough to make him take Fon's warning seriously. And with the materials Tang Hao had delivered via Fon, he could make some really nasty weapons.

Warning and present delivered, Fon went to find "Fatty".

Flender might have been able to stave off the worst of the backlash with food and women, but Fon knew that the only way Ma Hong Jun was ever going to get rid of that problem would be to strengthen his body properly so that he could handle the full potential of his "Phoenix"...even if he _did_ look like a chicken when he activated it. His physical condition was simply too poor for such a high quality spirit, which was why he had a problem in the first place.

Headmaster Flender was all for it... if only so they could save on the food bill.

Fon looked at Ma Hong Jun with some distaste. The boy was a pig with such a noble spirit. It made him weep internally. Still, there was no reason to not be professional and perhaps the boy had hidden qualities to make up for his lackluster personality and habits.

Besides, he had seen and encountered far more disgusting people in his last life that he could ignore Ma Hong Jun's bad qualities. That and he was still a child in Fon's eyes.

"I've been given permission to hopefully straighten out the issue causing your backlash. To that end I'm going to teach you Judo to start with, and work our way to some mid-air combat styles."

"Ha! You just got here, what could you possibly teach _me?_ " said Ma Hong Jun.

"Try using your flames on me," said Fon smiling. He was going to enjoy this just a wee bit too much.

The other boy pulled back his head a bit and then blew a stream of flames.

Fon merely activated his dragon's armor skin and extended it to his clothes. They were barely even singed.

"Let me show you how to do that sort of attack properly," said Fon.

Fatty suddenly realized his mistake when he took in the armored scales.

"Oh shit."

Fon's breath was much more controlled, and far more concentrated. Ma Hong Jun barely managed to avoid the attack, and it still more or less _vaporized_ some poor tree he hadn't really noticed behind him.

Then again Fon was cheating slightly because that was augmented by his Storm Flames. But it was enough to demonstrate who the superior fire user was.

For Fon, it wasn't about becoming as strong as he could in as little time as possible. It was about _controlling_ what power he had to the point he experienced minimal waste and using it efficiently. As a result, he rarely had to use his beast spirit to be a deadly opponent.

"Now we are going to put all that food you insist on stuffing your gullet with to good use and hopefully raise your physical condition enough that the impurity issue will be resolved. I think a hundred laps around the village would be a good start, don't you?" said Fon, still smiling.

"What?!"

"I'd best get started if I were you. I'm sure Viper can come up with something particularly amusing to motivate you," said Fon wickedly.

Oh yes, he was enjoying this far too much.

 _Several hours later..._

"Tang San...your brother is a _demon_ ," said Ma Hong Jun...right before he collapsed.

"Fatty!"

"Brother, what did you do?"

"The headmaster gave me permission to try and fix his impurity issue, if only to save on the food bills. I may have gone a bit overboard though," conceded Fon.

"A _bit_? He's almost dead!" said Mubai.

"He ran laps, and considering how much extra weight he has on him that was enough to wear him out. I even let him use his spirit beast so long as he was still running and he still had trouble keeping up," said Fon bluntly.

"He's a phoenix!" said Mubai.

"And if I had let him fly, then he would have flown off. I don't _do_ coddling when it comes to training."

"Actually I've seen him put our master through worse until he managed to get past the bottleneck he was stuck at," said Tang San sheepishly. "Laps is relatively tame for some of the things my brother can come up with."

Mubai still wasn't happy, but when he found out that the only thing Ma Hong Jun suffered was being worn to the bone from exhaustion, he let it go. Honestly, teacher Zhao Wu put them through worse on a bad day than what Fon was doing to Fatty.

Though he still semi-loathed the fact that he had been thrown right in with Fatty's training regimen at Fon's suggestion. Oscar got a lighter sentence, but he didn't mind it as much because he had some major respect for Fon.


	6. Chapter 6

A small figure was doing their best to avoid the adults in the area. They were looking for someone in particular, and they weren't going to stop until they found him.

Spotting a head of blond hair that was attached to a man with mismatched eyes, they found their target.

"Big Brother!"

Mubai looked at the kid attached to his leg like a leech. The girl had black hair, but he could tell it was dyed by the fact the roots were a familiar shade of blond.

When the kid looked up at him, he saw familiar mismatched eyes attached to a face he knew semi-well.

"Yue? What are you doing _here_?" he asked alarmed.

Yue pouted at him.

"Everyone was being mean...so I went to find you!" she said brightly.

"Who is this?" asked Headmaster Fletcher.

"My half-sister Yue. She's supposed to be with her minders," said Mubai.

He had a lot of half sisters, but he remembered her because of how open and friendly she was. That and because he remembered hearing that Yue's mother died giving birth to her.

He bent down to look at his little sister.

"What are you doing here Yue? You're supposed to be home studying."

Yue remained silent, at least until Fon came into view.

"Hello little one. Now what are you doing so far from home?" he said gently.

Yue's eyes widened, and Fon felt a flicker of recognition pass between them. Especially when she saw Lichi on his shoulder.

Mubai felt somewhat relieved to see how Yue gravitated to Fon. He wasn't particularly good with small children.

"Papa and the others are being really mean to me. I think they were unhappy with Stormheart."

"Stormheart?" said Mubai.

He felt Yue call upon her martial soul, and confusion turned to sympathy and to a lesser extent relief.

In Yue's arms was a small tiger cub with mismatched eyes like her own.

"I take it there's a significance to the fact her spirit manifested externally, rather than a merger like the one you perform?" asked Fon.

Mubai nodded.

"When the spirit manifests externally, it means she doesn't have a chance of unlocking the rare ability in our bloodline. As a result she's automatically skipped over succession," said Mubai.

Yue hugged her little cub closer to her.

"Papa and the others were being really mean to me after I got Stormheart."

"I'm not surprised. They're cruel enough to those who manifest it normally... I can't send her back like this. They'll eat her alive."

"Why not let her stay with us at the Academy?" asked Fon, looking to Flender. "I'm certain you could easily pay for her to be there, even if she can't join in the same training sessions as us."

Mubai looked at Flender.

"You pay for her room and board, and if she stays out of the way of training I'll ignore the fact she's there," he said. Considering he knew what Mubai went through as a normal prince, he wasn't about to force a little girl to go through it as well. Especially if she would be targeted just because her spirit manifested externally.

Mubai handed over a hundred gold, which would easily pay for his sister to stick around. Much to the amusement of everyone else, she immediately gravitated to Fon.

Fon easily carried her on his shoulders, letting her ride piggy back without a second thought. He could maintain her weight without trouble for hours.

So he was pleasantly surprised when Yue tentatively asked...in Japanese no less...

" _Fon-sensei?"_

Fon's smile was fairly wide...only _one_ person ever called him any varient of the word 'teacher'.

" _I-Pin, I am happy to see you again. I always knew you were hiding a tiger in the reeds within you,"_ he said back in the same language, making sure the others didn't hear save for Tang San and Viper.

I-Pin, or rather Yue in this life, beamed brightly and hugged him as best she could from her position. She had her adopted father back!

As they entered the arena, Yue opted to stay with Mubai while Fon and Viper registered as the Mist-Storm duo. Somehow Viper had the feeling Fon would be a regular at the arena, and not just to earn the 'graduation' requirement.

Mubai was at first baffled, then openly relieved when he realized Fon would act as Yue's minder...and that of her spirit Stormheart. The tiger was just as smitten with the older boy as his little sister was. Though why did Fon insist on teaching Yue and Oscar the same strange attack style that revolved around smelly buns?

Oscar officially had a new best friend, and his name was Fon. Not only did he eat the sausages he created without ridiculing them, but he also helped Oscar be taken as a serious opponent by teaching him a style that even he could use that used food as the first requirement!

Fon...was just surprised that a style he had learned as a joke was finding new root in this world and that he kept finding people who were predisposed to it.

 _A few days later..._

"Father has found out Yue is here, and is demanding we send her back on the grounds she is too young to attend the academy," said Mubai with a scowl.

It was clear he intended to raise Yue up as a wife to be sold off to someone else and neglect her education as a potential spirit master.

Fon was not pleased by this, and Yue was already shivering in fear behind his legs. She had taken to him very quickly, but then again she knew she could trust Fon.

"What if she found a Master willing to train her? Would he still demand her return?"

"Would take someone special for him to allow her to stay."

"What about someone capable of training even an adult to get past level thirty, despite being stuck at twenty-eight for several decades? One with a known varient spirit?" asked Tang San.

Mubai looked between them, and he noticed Flender take strong interest in the conversation.

"You can't mean the Grandmaster," said Flender in shock.

"Master was at thirty-five when we left for here," said Tang San. "Fon discovered what was holding him back, and has been helping him cultivate past the bottleneck he was stuck with."

Flender looked at Mubai with a dead serious expression on his face.

"Mubai, convince your father to reconsider taking your sister back. The Grandmaster is known to have a varient spirit that kept him from cultivating past the second ring...if he truly has obtained a third, it would mean your sister has a chance to flourish under a suitable teacher," said Flender.

Mubai nodded. If Yue had a talent teacher capable of training even varient spirits past a third ring, then it would be silly not to cultivate ties with them.

Talented spirit masters were one thing... people with skills to actually _teach_ talent and make it flourish was far harder to come by.

A week later, Mubai got another message from his family.

"She can stay, but only if she can reach twenty-nine by the time she's actually old enough to enter the Academy," he said with relief. "And if you can pull that off, then they said that they would be willing to hire you on a contract basis for others."

Fon smiled, and Yue was cheering. Getting her to twenty-nine would be easy...he'd be more surprised if she didn't hit _thirty_ by the time he was done with her.

Stormheart roared in an adorable way next to her. She rarely kept her spirit hidden.

Fon had the sneaking suspicion that by the time I-Pin reached the second ring, that kitten would be big enough to ride on for her.

"I take it they want me to sign a contract?" asked Fon.

Mubai nodded, and once Fon signed it with his full name in this life, the courier took it back with him. It took very little time to receive an official copy with a seal, which meant Yue was now his full apprentice.

Most twelve year olds wouldn't even consider taking on a six-year-old as an apprentice...then again, the twins were hardly _most_ twelve year olds.

Tang San found it rather enjoyable to teach Yue how to use some of the same skills he had learned at that age. Especially since he now had someone to cultivate the Purple Demon Eye with. Once she got the hang of enhancing her eyesight like he did, she proved to have a knack for it.

Fon found this privately amusing, and Tang San only learned when he joked about it.

"Yue was somewhat nearsighted in her last life and had to wear glasses. For her eyes to now be as sharp as an eagle is quite amusing."

"Brother, you knew her before as well?"

"She went by I-Pin and she was my last full apprentice. You know the style I taught the Grandmaster and Oscar? That was what I started her with," said Fon.

"You must have a deep bond, for her to follow you here," said Tang San.

"I-Pin was also my adopted daughter."

Tang San nodded. If he hadn't practically adopted Yue into their small, but swiftly growing trio as a younger sister, that would have convinced him. As it was, the little girl had already displayed a maturity and skill level beyond her years. She had picked up Gyoza-kempo so quickly that Fon had switched her to a different style before the month was out.

Now he knew why...she was already familiar with it and just needed minor correction!

"So the reason her tiger is called Stormheart..."

"Is because she had no idea I was reincarnated in this world, and wanted to name her closest companion after me. Besides, the next best name would have been Lambo, and that would only be suitable if the spirit had turned out to be a cow or bull of some sort," said Fon amused.

There was always a chance Lambo had been reborn as well, but he highly doubted it.

It was the first time they had a proper 'class' and it was the one thing that had everyone save for Fon and Tang San groaning in dismay.

They had to eat Oscar's sausages. Considering what his spirit chant was, most of them would rather avoid them.

Fon and Tang San, so used to ignoring what the grandmaster was stuck with whenever he attacked with Luo San Pao, did so without a second thought.

"This quality... Oscar, you've reached level thirty?!" said Flender in shock.

Oscar laughed and nodded.

"Thanks to Tang Fon, I found it much easier to cultivate. He was right in that I was really slacking in my training...once I ate a few of my sausages after a training session with him I hit the bottleneck in a few days at most!"

"It helps that I knew a martial arts style that suited your unique spirit...even if it meant cutting up a few of the sausages in question to add to the buns," said Fon.

Oscar had somehow managed to tweak the original recipe enough that he could use his special sausages with them. It made training go much faster and he could already tell he was improving because of it.

He truly was grateful to Tang Fon.

"If it helps, I reached level thirty this morning while practicing with Xiao Yue," said Fon.

Flender didn't look surprised to hear that. Fon's training was far more effective than he could have imagined...but then again Fon was somewhat cheating in that he used several different cultivation methods for different complimentary energy types.

Tang San knew how to unlock his inner chi, but Fon had been using Qi for years and it went well with his beast spirit. That plus the fact he was already a fire-based fighter meant he knew what he was doing.

Ma Hong Jun might not like his training methods, but if he had paid attention he would have noticed he was already another level higher.

"What of Yue?" asked Flender.

Fon patted the girl affectionately on the head.

"The little moon is already at the level where she would need to hunt for a spirit ring anyway."

"So soon?" asked Mubai in surprise.

"She awakened just shy of having a full innate spirit power," said Fon. "She only needed a bit of training to reach ten."

"Hmm... the forest I'm thinking off is a bit too dangerous for children."

"Fon and I can keep an eye on her," said Viper. "I can teleport us out of danger if nothing else."

That had been the _first_ thing they went after for their initial spirit ring. It had taken far too long to find what they were looking for, but the results were more than worth it. Even if it _did_ have a limited distance.

"If anything happens to her in the forest, it's on your heads," said Flender. If they wanted to take her with them, he wasn't going to stop them.


	7. Chapter 7

"So what sort of ability are you going to be looking for, Fon?" asked Oscar.

"Whichever one appears most useful," said Fon.

"That reminds me... what exactly is it that you _do_ when you hunt spirit beasts? Grandmaster had a rather funny expression on his face the first time he took you," said Tang San.

"Funny how?" asked Mubai.

"Funny, as in he didn't know what to think of it," said Tang San after a moment.

Fon smiled.

"I approach it not as a spirit master after a ring, but as a 'dragon' seeking to make a meal out of it. Most animals understand that sort of thing fairly well, because in nature it's eat or be eaten. I think the main reason the Grandmaster had such an odd look on his face was because I actually brought some of the meat back with me to try out. It wasn't half bad, in all honesty."

"Wait, that meat you brought back to the Academy that one time was..." said Tang San, looking at Fon in disbelief. Everyone was giving him looks.

"I didn't see a reason to waste perfectly good meat, and at least this way I could obtain a bit of poison resistence. Should have seen his expression when he found out what I tricked him into eating," said Fon snickering.

Xiao Wu had a rather unreadable expression on her face. On one hand, she hated the fact humans hunted her kind down for spirit rings. On the other hand, she fully understood the concept of 'eat or be eaten' when it came to predators. And dragons were apex predators that would have no issue with eating their prey.

"Did you at least share with Lichi?" she asked finally.

"Lichi is a vegetarian," said Fon. "Besides, it was rather interesting to see what I could come up with in regards to recipes."

Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, save for Xiao Wu and Fon, they had looks of their own.

"What?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I am never eating anything you cook," said Ma Hong Jun flatly.

Tang San snorted.

"If you ate his normal cooking you'd regret it anyway."

"It's that bad?" asked Mubai.

"No, he just has a really weird preference for super spicy foods," said Tang San. "If you can eat the milder version it's rather good, but he prefers the 'melt your mouth off' type of spicyness. There's a reason I do most of the cooking when I can get away with it."

Fon pouted.

"No one appreciates my cooking."

"No, we just prefer to have taste buds by the end of the meal," said Tang San bluntly.

Yue snickered, and said something in Japanese. It was clear it was something that sounded sympathetic, but was in reality just her teasing him.

Fon pouted more.

"Have you managed to recreate mapo tofu?" asked Viper seriously.

"It took a while, but I was able to find comparable ingredients."

"Thank the gods!" said Viper in relief. "Now if only I could find some quality strawberry milk."

"This coming from the biggest miser next to the headmaster," snarked Mubai. He felt something slap him on the back of the head, but could not see what it was. He could figure out who was behind it though.

"Mu. You still owe me for the bet we made two months ago," said Viper.

"I already paid you in full!"

"You forgot to tack on interest."

"I am not paying you that much for a stupid bet!" shouted Mubai.

"You're the idiot who said that fight was a 'sure thing', despite the fact I did background research."

Mubai let out a growl of frustration, and made motions with his hands indicating he would very much like to strangle Viper. Fon hid a smile. It was nice to see that Viper had never changed in the least.

"You know you won't be able to take your money with you when you die."

Viper shot him such a vicious glare that it made the others impressed...despite it being hidden by the hood.

Tang San, however, had the feeling of a longstanding argument about to erupt.

He would be right.

On the plus side, the group was not lacking any entertainment for the rest of the run to the village 'bordering' the forest they were going to enter. Seeing Fon get under Viper's skin, only for the martial artist to seem honestly baffled by their ire was rather hilarious to watch.

Fon allowed Tang San to have his moment of showing off how smart he was. However he kept feeling some immense pressure at the edge of his senses, watching them. It had started almost immediately after they entered the forest.

It took him several hours to pinpoint that the presence was focused entirely on Xiao Wu. Considering what he knew of her, he could only assume that the meeting would go badly if the others knew of it.

Fon quietly went close to Xiao Wu.

"I think a _friend_ of yours wishes to see you. I don't believe it's the sort the others would take well though."

Xiao Wu extended her senses, and then winced. If _he_ appeared, then there would be no end of headaches. Better to come up with a way to slip off and come back with a new 'ring' to keep their suspicions down.

"I think I sense a rabbit type spirit nearby. Would anyone mind if Viper and I escort Xiao Wu to find it?"

Zhao Wu looked at Fon and Viper, then at Xiao Wu.

"Don't go too far. Even if we are on the outskirts there are still plenty of beasts that will eat you alive."

Fon nodded in agreement.

Yue climbed onto his shoulder like a monkey, while Stormheart disappeared for a bit.

No one questions where the four were going, or what they would be doing since they trusted in Fon to keep them safe. After all, what sort of rabbit would be able to defeat a dragon?

As they broke off from the main group, Fon lead them straight to where he sensed the presence.

It was a good thing he had sensed it before the others ran into it. Such a massive beast was well beyond their ability to deal with.

"Is that a ten thousand year old Giant Titan Gorilla?" asked Viper faintly.

Seeing Xiao Wu go up to it without any hesitation at all, Viper felt their soul leave their body. What the _hell_ was going on!?

"So it was a friend of yours. I had the feeling considering it lacked any murderous intent towards our group."

Lichi went up to the gorilla, to say hello.

"Ah, big monkey!" said Yue excitedly.

Xiao Wu picked up Yue and carried her to the massive beast.

"This is a friend of mine," said Xiao Wu, to both of them. "He's harmless, mostly."

Yue didn't even think twice about her next action. She hugged the massive gorilla's finger, which was much bigger than even Fon was.

"He's super fluffy!" said Yue with cheer. She had nothing to fear around Fon...he would never allow her to run into danger. Xiao Wu beamed at her and at Fon. This was too adorable!

"You can use this time to 'make' a third halo," offered Fon. "Do you mind if I leave Yue with you while I go hunt mine?"

Xiao Wu shook her head. Yue would be perfectly safe with her.

"I'll stay here. I highly doubt anything in this forest would stand a chance. At least not this far in," said Viper. They sat down and started cultivating...and made sure the Mist illusion was up and running so no one saw Xiao Wu talking with the gorilla.

Fon nodded, and went off. He knew Xiao Wu really didn't like being reminded of the way this world worked.

 _With Fon_

It took him thirty minutes to find something that appealed to his inner dragon. A creature with roughly two thousand years to it that was compatible with his beast spirit. Even if the limit for a third spirit ring was only 1,700 years, Fon had yet to experience any difficulty when it came to 'exceeding' that number. He had done it with his second spirit ring, though he neglected to tell anyone how old the thing was.

For some reason, cooking and eating part of the beast eased the transition. He wasn't about to ask why that was.

Fon allowed his inner dragon to come out. It was more _his_ fight than Fon's, and he was merely the conduit for the great beast of legend.

Fon's dragon let out a roar of challenge. The sound of it echoed deep into the night, reaching even Tang San and the others.

"What the heck was that?" said Mubai.

Tang San snorted.

"That's Fon's dragon. I once followed him when he went to get his second spirit ring, to see how he did it and I found out he has a few unusual 'quirks' when he goes hunting. And I'm not talking about the fact he eats what he kills."

"He _what_? Who eats the spirit beasts they kill?" said Zhao Wu baffled.

"My brother. Datura Snake had a rather unique texture, but overall wasn't terrible," said Tang San shrugging. He noticed the queasy looks he was getting from the others. "Fon's policy is 'waste not, want not' and to be fair we never really had the money for actual meat before that point. Besides, does anyone really care what happens to the bodies of the spirit beasts we kill after we get the ring? It's still meat, isn't it?"

"Xiao San, don't take this the wrong way, but you and your brother are weird as hell," said Mubai.

"You're just saying that because you've never experimented with your food before. If you've ever had to suffer through Fon's cooking, then even you would be willing to try something new just to avoid having your mouth feel like it's on fire," deadpanned Tang San.

"So what is he doing now?"

"Fon lets his dragon out, gives a roar of challenge that any spirit beast would understand, and then lets his beast spirit do the majority of the fighting so that it can prove it's supremecy," said Tang San, reciting what Fon told him about the process. "How can his inner dragon grow stronger if it has to rely on _Fon_ to tell it how to fight? After all, he prefers to coexist as equals with it, rather than dominate his spirit."

Tang San perked up.

"Seems brother found a suitable spirit beast. I can tell he's defeated it already."

 _With Fon_

Fon used his blade (made by Tang San) to cut into the meat. He took several large chunks of it with him and sealed a few more pieces before he started to cook a small fraction of it.

The two thousand year Winged Storm Serpent was a difficult but rewarding opponent. He had no regrets killing it. At least he gave it a decent chance to live, fighting one on one.

"Who took my snake?!" roared a girl. Fon ignored her and focused on absorbing the halo. Considering he was already snacking on the meat from the serpent, it took very little time.

He wondered how the others would react if they knew he ate the meat _raw_ , and then cooked it within his mouth using dragon fire until it was ready to swallow. His chewing provided the tenderizing process.

It was a method of very find control he had perfected...and it brought no end of amusement seeing people's reactions to what he could do.

After all, he was allowed to be childish every once in a while, right?

"YOU! How dare you kill my serpent!" shouted the girl from before.

"I hardly believe that a _wild_ spirit beast would be considered anyone but it's own. Besides, any proper spirit master would know it's first come, first serve when it comes to halos. If you didn't have the skill to keep up with it or kill it yourself, then you have no room to complain," said Fon easily.

"How do we know you didn't take advantage of a fight gone wrong and simply killed it when it was near death?" said an older woman. "This beast looks like something tore into it."

Fon smirked, and pulled out a covered bag. He opened it to reveal several missing hunks of meat from the serpent he just killed.

The girl's reaction was hysterical.

"EUGH! How could you do something like that?" she said in absolute disgust.

"Waste not, want not. Do you really think their bodies go to waste around predators? Besides, it's no different than hunting wild game and eating it, so long as you have the correct spices," said Fon. "Not to mention it's more respectful to the creature you just killed in the quest to become stronger if you take part of it for food."

Which was another reason Xiao Wu liked Fon better than most. Not only did he not hunt spirit beasts needlessly, but he was respectful of the food chain to the point he ate anything he killed for his spirit halos. So long as it wasn't poisonous anyway.

"Be that as it may," said the old woman (there was no mistaking the expression of disgust in her eyes), "You still owe my granddaugther the snake you killed."

Fon frowned at her.

"Would a test of skill suffice? If she can beat me then I will personally assist her in retrieving a superior beast for her cultivation. If not, then she must accept that it was simply not her day," said Fon.

"Acceptable," said the old woman.

Fon slid into a stance and waited. He didn't have long, as the girl was quite brazen and if she were Flame active was likely a Storm or Lightning.

What happened was a one-sided fight...for Fon. He easily dominated the girl and while her spirit abilities were annoying, they were nothing he couldn't handle.

He might have been picking up a thing or two while exchanging pointers with Tang San. The Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, never mind the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step, were very useful indeed, and the look on his brother's face when he used it against him was priceless.

Fon had her pinned to the ground with his hands on a pressure point that was instantly lethal if used.

"I believe this is my win."

"This is complete bullshit! How the hell did you beat me without using your spirit once?!" demanded the girl.

"I only bring out my spirit against worthy opponents. He would find your snake severely lacking in that respect," said Fon.

Lichi chittered from nearby, and Fon held out his hand. The white monkey jumped onto his hand and onto his shoulder.

"A monkey?"

"That is a five hundred year Snow Wind Monkey," said the old woman in shock. "What is a beast like that doing here?"

"Lichi is my companion. As for your grandchild, she never stood a chance against me in the first place," said Fon calmly. There was a hint of steel in his eyes as he released his spirit beast long enough for the two to see what it was. "After all, how could a mere _snake_ stand against a dragon? Especially one who isn't from the Blue Lightning Tyrant clan?"

The girl shivered where she sat on the ground. The dragon's presence alone was one of the most terrifying things she had ever encountered...if it were a spirit beast there was no way she would have considered going after it.

Fon left and went straight to where Viper and the others were.

"Who's hungry? I brought back some meat," said Fon.

"Wait until we find the others. I want to see who's brave enough to try your cooking," said Viper.

Fon smirked.


	8. Chapter 8

"What the hell kind of meat is this?!" demanded Fatty.

"Winged Storm Serpent, a fairly well aged one too going by the scale pattern," said Tang San.

"At least a thousand year old one," agreed Fon. "Since fire attracts dangerous beasts in places like this, I thought we could slow roast it."

"How?" asked Tang San intriqued.

"You aren't seriously going to eat that are you?" asked Mubai.

"Why not? It's pretty fresh and if it tasted bad Fon would have left it with the corpse," said Tang San. "Besides, Fon would never bring back anything that was poisonous to eat. He's not that stupid."

"Not poisonous? Didn't you say you guys once ate a Datura Snake? Isn't that thing poisonous?" said Zhu Zhuqing.

"A snake is _venomous_ , not poisonous. So long as you avoid the venom glands in the mouth it's perfectly safe to eat," said Fon patiently.

"And a fire would draw too much attention," scolded Zhao Wu.

Fon smirked and took out a sheet of metal that Tang San had made flat. He found a pair of suitable rocks and put the metal sheet down so that it was level, and then used dragon fire to make it red hot to the touch. You could hear the moss beneath it sizzle in protest.

Fon then tossed the meat to Tang San, who cut it into even steaks and in the same hand threw it back to his brother.

Soon Fon had the meat sizzling on the makeshift grill...all without an open source of flame.

Viper made sure that the smoke and the scent of the meat was redirected elsewhere by throwing up an illusuon to mask it. So long as no spirit beasts or humans came within the perimeter, no one would know someone was cooking fresh meat. It wouldn't last long, but by the time the meat was gone they would hopefully have moved on by then.

Once the meat was cooked to his preference, Fon easily speared it with a knife and handed it over to Tang San using "plates" made of metal.

Everyone watched with disbelief and bated breath as Tang San easily began to eat. When he didn't keel over from the food, Viper took their own portion.

"A little tough, but overall the texture and flavor is excellent. Could use a few more spices though," said Viper. Fon handed them some seasoning packets, and they dug in with considerably more enthusiasm after a test.

Oscar timidly went up to where Fon was cooking and asked... "Mind if I try some?"

Fon speared a much smaller 'test' steak and handed it took him.

"You're really going to eat that?" said Rong Rong in horror.

"They don't seem to mind it," said Oscar. "Besides, I trust Fon not to poison me."

He took a tentative bite of a small piece...and then his eyes flew open in shock. Sure, the meat was a bit tough to chew but other than that, the flavor and texture were really good. He soon finished his own portion and Fon cheerfully handed him some more.

That was all the endorsement Ma Hong Jun needed, and soon he was eating the meat with a gusto.

"You know what, screw it. Hand me a slice," said Zhao Wu. The smell was really driving him crazy and he was starving anyway. If they were going to die from Fon's crazy eating habits, then at least he would be in good company!

Fon was openly amused at this point, and didn't try to hide that fact. Aside from Xiao Wu, who was a vegetarian, the others soon devoured the 'steaks' Tang San created with the meat Fon brought back.

"I can't believe we just ate a spirit beast," said Mubai, once the meat was gone.

"Try cultivating and see what happens," said Fon amused.

Oscar was the first to do so, and he nearly fell over in shock.

"What... I just got my third spirit ring and already I can feel my spirit power soaring! I must be at thirty-two, at the very least!"

"Hmm... perhaps a food spirit master would obtain extra benefits from consuming a spirit beast, even if they didn't kill it. Do you know what happened to the one you killed for your halo?" asked Fon.

"It's that way, about twenty minutes walk," said Tang San immediately.

Zhu Zhuqing disappeared and returned with the body of the snake Oscar killed for his third spirit halo. Within minutes he had the corpse turned into more meat, and after a brief moment to enjoy the looks of disgust from the others for eating it raw (Tang San rolled his eyes, as he knew of Fon's favorite trick with raw meat) he soon had a few steaks cooking on the makeshift stove.

Oscar tried a slice. The taste wasn't bad overall, but he definitely preferred the snake Fon had brought back earlier. This was a bit too stringy for his tastes.

However he could feel his cultivation spiking as he ate, and while it was a bit odd to multitask like this he could already tell that he had gone past thirty-two and was swiftly heading to at least thirty-three or even thirty-four. Considering he had gotten his third halo less than an hour ago, that was pretty damn impressive!

Once the sheet cooled down enough to touch, and the plates were cleaned off, Fon put it back. Either way they were all comfortably full and ready to move on for Tang San's third halo, since he had broken through to thirty while they were eating.

"I can't believe I ate a spirit beast," said Mubai.

"Two of them," said Fon cheerfully. "Today has been a good day!"

"By the way, why did you release your beast spirit twice?" asked Tang San.

"There was a particularly crass young woman who insisted a spirit beast I killed was 'hers' and was relying on her grandmother for help. I offered to help her hunt one down if she could beat me, but when she got on my nerves I taught her a little lesson about annoying dragons too much," said Fon.

"...Short brown hair, snake staff and an arrogant attitude about spirit beasts?" asked Tang San.

"You know her?"

"We ran into her earlier. She tried to claim Oscar's snake over a matter of some minor injuries and said that it was hers," said Mubai. "Tang San put her in her place though."

"Yes, she does need to have her ego checked before she gets any more spirit halos. With that sort of attitude she'll never survive the real world," said Fon.

* * *

 _The next afternoon..._

How could this have happened? The ten thousand year old Giant Titan Gorilla should have calmed down when he found out Xiao Wu was fine. He had specifically insured that the beast knew they meant her no harm by bringing her straight to him!

So why was it attacking them now?

Then he saw a trio of people flee the area. It was only a glimpse but it was enough.

Those damn fools had provoked it! The next time he saw that girl he was going to give her and her grandmother such an earful about pissing off something stronger than them!

Fon looked at Viper.

"We need to confuse the others long enough for Xiao Wu to get close and calm it down. Maybe then it will go back to the forest interior," said Fon.

"Agreed. I'll back up Xiao Wu, you keep everyone's eyes on you," said Viper.

The hooded Mist snuck behind Xiao Wu and told her the plan quietly enough that no one noticed. She nodded, and prepared to rush in close while Viper disguised what she was doing.

What they forgot to account for was the fact that Tang San's special eyes allowed him to see past most illusions, and that he was particularly in tune with Xiao Wu.

The fact she was so close to the gorilla terrified him and without thinking clearly he charged in after her.

Fon was beyond unhappy with his twin at the moment. Tang San could ruin their plan to calm the beast down and send it away before anyone got seriously hurt!

Viper quickly adjusted things so that it looked like both of them were 'taken' by the gorilla, made it difficult so that no one could actually follow them.

Once the beast was calmed down, Viper would teleport them back to the others anyway.

Tang San used the new spirit skill Oscar had recently acquired and tried to follow them.

Fon was the only one fast enough to keep pace with his brother, and even then he only managed to find Tang San _after_ he killed a beast that was too old to be properly absorbed. Not without great sacrifice anyway.

A pity the spider was too poisonous to eat. Then again he didn't particularly care to find out what that thing tasted like anyway.

"Xiao San... you are an _idiot_ ," said Fon flatly, his ire clear. "Xiao Wu and Viper are fine, and yet you ran off half-cocked like a child!"

Tang San looked at his twin oddly.

"What?"

"The gorilla is a vegetarian, you idiot. We were giving Xiao Wu a chance to calm it down so that it would leave, and now we have to cover up for your idiotic mistake," said Fon. "If anything she's in the _least_ danger out of any of us in this forest."

Tang San stared at him.

"You have your special eyes, but do not see the truth. You are still a child, Xiao San."

"Then let me make it up to you," said Tang San. He didn't like this feeling in his chest. It was as if he had disappointed himself twice over.

"Let me see your resolve to protect her, brother," said Fon quietly. "I will guard you."

Tang San called the halo of the spider he just killed, and began to absorb it. If his resolve to protect Xiao Wu was weak, then he deserved to die from this anyway. If not, then he would have gained a great deal of power to keep the woman he cared for most in this life safe.

 _An hour later..._

Fon was still quietly guarding his brother when the others arrived.

"You... how could you let him attempt to absorb this?!" said Mubai.  
"This beast is beyond what someone at his level can attempt!"

"Tang San is determined to protect Xiao Wu at any costs. If his resolve is so weak that he cannot overcome this trial, then he would not forgive himself in the first place. Power such as the kind he seeks can only be found when prepared to make sacrifices," said Fon calmly. "Xiao San knew the risks when he started. I am merely safeguarding him so that he may prove himself worthy."

Oscar was silent, though he poked at the dead spider.

"You're not going to butcher and eat this thing, are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. There's no telling where the venom glands are," said Fon. "Besides, I think we've all eaten our fill with those snakes earlier."

"You got that right. I don't think I've ever been so stuffed before in my life!" said Ma Hong Jun.

Fon smirked at him.

"That's because it's not just your stomach being filled, but also your spirit as well. You might as well cultivate while he's doing this, since the effects of the meat will only last so long," said Fon. "By the way... what was with the fireworks show earlier?"

"I sent a distress signal to my clan. They should arrive before too long... I really don't want to be in this forest any longer than we need to, if something like that gorilla is this close to the edge," said Rong Rong. "A pity Yue didn't get her first spirit ring."

Fon scratched his cheek embarrassed.

"Actually Stormheart already absorbed the first spirit ring while we went to get one for Xiao Wu," he admitted. "Yue might have called it to her, but it was the tiger who absorbed it...and ate most of the meat. She now has the spirit ring of a three hundred year old Rising Dawn Wildcat."

At most it allowed her Sun flames to become decidedly cat shaped from what he had been able to tell. Yue's flames were a small, gentle blaze compared to the three teenagers.

Seeing Tang San spit a little blood and almost collapse, Fon's resolve didn't waver. If Tang San truly cared that much for Xiao Wu, then he had best be prepared to face untold trials ahead. This was a small matter compared to what would come after her once her secret came out.

* * *

It took until morning before Tang San woke up...and he felt horrible. However the sight before him was more than enough to revive him somewhat.

Xiao Wu had returned with Viper!

"WHO TOOK MY SPIDER?!"

Fon's face took a stormy look. It was that fool girl again.

"Xiao San, keep an eye on Yue and Xiao Wu. It seems I need to reprimand a few people for the trouble they've caused."

Tang San was able to follow his brother to where the girl and her grandparents were. She looked pissed...and then she saw Fon and flinched.

"You three have a lot of explaining to do. Like why you angered that ten thousand year old Giant Titan Gorilla to the point it _attacked_ us. I would have thought someone of your considerable age would know better than to piss something like that off," said Fon with an 'even' tone, though his eyes were a violent red color.

Tang San winced.

"Fon is pissed."

"How can you tell?" asked Mubai in a low tone.

"When his eyes turn red like that, it means he's furious and someone is either going to get beaten up or get a severe tongue-lashing," said Tang San. "Or in this case, possibly both. I haven't seen that happen since one boy made the mistake of saying things about our parents that would have had _me_ attacking him."

Mubai wasn't the only one to wince at that.

"Enough, who are you to reprimand us? You steal our granddaughter's spirit beasts time and time again! It is your own ill luck that you faced the gorilla after it stumbled across us!" said the old man.

Fon looked pissed and there was no hiding it.

Tang San winced even more.

"No killing, brother. We don't need that headache."

"I don't need to kill them to send a message about fixing their attitude, brother of mine," said Fon. He flexed his fingers, and out of nowhere appeared a staff.

To most it would seem as though that was his 'martial spirit', but that would be a lie.

Because the next thing he did was unleash his dragon. It was already in a foul mood at the way the older dragon was treating them as an insignificant hatchling, all because his own kin was too weak to properly kill it's prey.

"My name is Tang Fon. And I will be more than happy to discipline you three in proper manners," he said.

"You aren't going to leave me out of this are you?" said Viper, appearing at his side without warning.

"Of course not. After all, thanks to them you had to expend far too much effort with no proper reward after the fact. It would be rude of me not to share," said Fon.

Viper had a cold smirk on their face at that. Fon aggravated them to hell and back sometimes, but there were times the Storm displayed how much he understood them.

This was not going to be pleasant for the trio. No matter how high their levels were.

Tang San on the other hand was going to eagerly observe his brother's fighting style. He knew Fon was skilled, but there was a distinct sense he was holding back this whole time. There was a certain level of professional pride as a warrior that made a part of Tang San sit up and watch with glee.

Zhao Wu watched as Fon easily dismantled the terrifying Dragon/Snake couple and their granddaughter, all while utilizing Viper's illusions to bewitch and ensnare them just long enough to do some major damage.

It was completely and utterly terrifying, and while he had always assumed Tang San was a monster among monsters, it was now apparent to him that Tang Fon was a hundred times worse.

He was rather glad he hadn't done enough damage to the little rabbit girl that the brothers would take him seriously enough to kill him. He didn't think he would survive both.

Then again, even a _young_ Emperor Storm Dragon was almost impossible to kill. And Fon had it as his beast spirit!


	9. Chapter 9

**Everyone, my mother is in the hospital with a large ulcer. Please pray for her at this time. Thank You.**

* * *

"He did _what_?" said Flender in shock.

"Tang Fon completely decimated the Snake/Dragon couple, despite only recently gaining his third ring. What's more, Xiao Wu's story about how she and Viper escaped the gorilla doesn't add up. What could be more powerful than that gorilla in the forest?"

"She is telling the truth! There is another king of that forest!"

Flender turned to look and found a familiar face.

"The number one philosipher in the spirit world... the Grand Master Yue Xiao Gang! So you truly are the twin's master," said Flender. He could tell that the twins hadn't been lying... his old friend truly _had_ surpassed level thirty!

"You taught that demon Tang Fon?" said Zhao Wu.

He shook his head.

"Tang Fon needs no instruction from me outside the occasional request for advice or knowledge that only experts who spent their lives studying would know. That child trains his body first and his beast spirit second... in terms of power I would have to say his dragon is superior to that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant clan."

"Old friend... how did you get past the block?"

"Tang Fon is a brilliant, if terrifying genius. His approach to varient spirits is like nothing I've ever come across, and I suspect he might have knowledge of a previous life. I have yet to come across any mention of the fighting style he taught me."

Flender thought of how his old friend attacked, before he tentatively had to ask.

"Is this style by any chance known as 'Gyoza-kempo'?" he asked.

"How did you know?"

"He's been teaching another student, a food support class who recently achieved level thirty, how to use such a style. Though I'm still baffled as to how they've all cultivated at least two or three levels in such a short time period."

Zhao Wu had a sheepish look.

"I know the answer to that. Apparently eating the spirit beasts that you kill for the halos has an amplifying effect when cultivating. Fon actually cooked two different types of snakes and as a result the little monsters suddenly shot up in their levels while we were there. For a spirit beast the taste wasn't that bad."

Xiao Gang made a face.

"He's _still_ doing that? It was bad enough that little brat tricked me into eating that Datura snake..."

"Don't knock it till you've seen the effects. I'll admit it's a little crazy, but I've almost gone up an entire level after eating his cooking and cultivating!" said Zhao Wu.

That shut up the other two as they looked at him in shock.

"You've actually _eaten_ his cooking? And lived?" said Xiao Gang. "That boy always puts the hottest spices he can get his hands on when he cooks! Always!"

"Well the ones he had with him were pretty standard," said Zhao Wu.

"You said Tang Fon's beast spirit was superior to that clan. What did you mean?" asked Flender. If anyone understood about that dragon, it was the Grandmaster. After all, he was once _part_ of that same clan!

"Tang Fon's dragon is superior because he does not rely on it's power to fight. Instead, he coexists with it and treats it as his equal. His dragon possess a power that Tyrant Dragon of the Blue Lightning cannot match. It can disintegrate whatever it's flame touches...nothing would stand in it's way."

"I've never heard of of the Emperor Storm Dragon having that power."

"It is a considerably rare beast. It's possible it had abilities that not even I would know of," admitted Xiao Gang.

Unknown to the three, another person was listening in to everything they said...and allowing Fon to hear it as well. He was already smirking wickedly at the havoc he was causing.

On an unrelated note, he finally knew what his master's real name was.

"If Reborn were here, he'd have no end of fun trolling them just by screwing with their preconceptions," said Viper smirking.

"Well if anyone asks, we've spent too much time around him in our last life and have picked up his trolling habits," said Fon.

The two of them looked at each other, before sharing a wicked grin.

This was going to be far too much fun.

Elsewhere, the trio of Zhao Wu, Xiao Gang and Flender all shivered. Someone was not only walking over their graves, but dancing on them with evil intent.

"Does anyone else feel that?" asked Flender.

"I say we get drunk and pretend it didn't happen," said Xiao Gang.

Zhao Wu nodded vigerously at that.

* * *

"You want me to what?" said Xiao Gang.

"I want you to teach my little apprentice how to attack using her variant spirit. I can teach her how to cultivate and fight by herself, but I don't have the skills to teach her how to fight using a spirit that manifests itself externally," repeated Fon. "You and Luo San Pao have excellent teamwork and I would like to see Xiao Yue and Stormheart exhibit the same."

"How did you even get an apprentice?" he asked.

"Mubai's sister tracked him down because their clan doesn't allow anyone who manifests the tiger externally to inherit. She knew that hiding with him at least would give her a chance to avoid being treated like trash among them," said Fon with a hard tone. "Fortunately they were willing to allow her to train under a relative unknown, despite my age."

The reason why was obvious, and standing before Fon right now.

"Besides... as long as she's training with us, she can't attend a normal spirit academy. Which means _someone_ who understands how to teach basic principles would need to give her lessons. And considering how much knowledge Xiao San has picked up from you..." said Fon.

Fon was part of Shrek Academy, which meant Yue would have to learn with them as well. However as it was an _intermediate_ academy, the power and age disparity was far too high.

Xiao Gang had taught at a beginning academy. He already knew the sort of things to impart to young spirit masters, and had even taught the twins himself. If anyone could help Fon's little apprentice keep up with others her age, then it would be him. The fact he had a variant _external_ spirit was even more important...he would have a good idea how to train the two to become partners.

Besides, it was rare that Fon would ask someone for help.

Fon was about to leave when he thought of something.

"What is it?" asked Xiao Gang.

"I think it's nothing. However something odd happened after I finished cultivating upon getting my third spirit halo. I thought it was a side effect of my habit of eating what I kill, except Xiao San has acquired his own unique traits and I know for a fact he didn't eat that spider after," said Fon after a moment.

"What happened?"

Fon gave off a little spirit pressure, and where normally his skin would develop a scale pattern and the toughness of a dragon's hide, there was a thick scale pattern on both his hands and feet. In fact it was to the point that his hands had now become claws complete with talons capable of going through fragile human skin like a hot knife through butter, and his feet became decidedly dragon-shaped with sharp claws capable of gripping practically anything.

Xiao Gang released a sharp exhalation of breath. He knew _exactly_ what he was looking at, even if he had only seen it manifest in one clan before.

"Dragonfication," he said in shock.

"What?" said Fon baffled.

"It's a trait that is rare and has only ever manifested with any reliability in one specific clan. Honestly, if I hadn't know for a fact that you and Tang San are twins and come from a different one I would suspect you were from the Blue Lightning Tyrant clan. Especially with that ability. It means you're literally borrowing the physical traits of your dragon spirit."

"I thought I already did that?" said Fon with confusion.

The older man shook his head.

"Spirit manifestation is a lesser version of this. Your defenses and attack ability are amplified, but during Dragonfication it becomes true dragon skin and hide, to the point your abilities are amplified a hundred percent past what they were before. However there is a serious catch...this ability comes with a rather nasty backlash the more of your body you convert while it's active."

"How strange. I've been testing this out earlier and I have yet to get it past my hands and feet. I also haven't experienced this backlash you speak of. If anything it seems to take up more power to _hide_ them than it does to manifest. Tang San said he had the same issue with his new additions."

Xiao Gang examined Fon's hand much closer...and his eyes widened in shock.

"This is... an external spirit bone! Except it seems to be drawing power directly from your beast spirit."

Fon allowed him to examine the hand.

"What does this mean?"

"It means that it's not the same as Dragonfication...however the effects appear to be similar enough that it could easily be mistaken for such. You said you experienced no backlash from this?"

"As I have said repeatedly, I see no point in trying to force a dragon to submit. It is far easier to earn it's respect through hard work and attempt coexistence than it is to try and dominate an apex predator."

Xiao Gang had to stare at him, before he sighed.

"It is possible that your dragon used the unique conditions you created during your third spirit halo to manifest an external spirit bone that acts as a surrogate for the technique. As far as I'm aware you're the only spirit master who actually _eats_ the beast he kills for his halos, much less treats your beast spirit as an equal. I've been in uncharted waters ever since you and Xiao San asked to be my apprentices."

Mostly because of Fon. Tang San was a good child, if overly mature.

Fon decided to change the subject.

"Who is Liu Er Long?" asked Fon.

Xiao Gang stiffened.

"How do you know that name?"

"One, you've left some of your old journals out when we were studying together and I mistook it for one of the handwritten training books you like to give Tang San. Two, Viper is a _master_ information broker and they were more than happy to give me the full details of who made up the Golden Iron Triangle when I asked how you knew the headmaster," deadpanned Fon. "I can only guess from your reaction she is either your lover, or someone who had the potential to become one. Viper couldn't get the full reason why she never married, despite multiple interested parties."

That made him wince.

"Liu Er Long...is my cousin. She was the only woman I ever loved, but because she is part of the main family it would be a taboo to love her the way she deserves."

Incest wasn't exactly the _healthiest_ way to keep a bloodline alive, and had a higher risk for birth defects. Fon was all too aware of this fact.

"So just to be clear, you abandoned her because you couldn't give her children since you are too closely related?" said Fon patiently.

His wince was very telling. Fon pinched the bridge of his nose, once he released the dragon claws anyway.

"You're an idiot."

"Excuse me?" said Xiao Gang offended.

"Just because it would be inadviseable to have children together _doesn't_ mean you had to abandon her. Did it honestly never occur to you that you could simply _adopt_ children, including orphans from the clan you were part of and treat them as your own? You should know all too well family does not end in blood, or do you honestly not think of Tang San as the son you never had?" said Fon bluntly.

Seeing the expression on his face, it was obvious such an idea never occurred to him.

"And honestly, being closely related doesn't automatically _mean_ that the child produced will have problems. It just means that the risk is heightened depending on how much blood is shared between the two parties. If she were your sister, then it would be understandable, but cousins means that the risk is lower than it would be for that sort of thing," said Fon patiently, as if explaining to a complete idiot.

"How do you know this?" demanded Xiao Gang.

Fon gave him a Look.

"You claim to be wise, but do not see what is in front of you. I would have thought the answer was as obvious as the nose on your face," said Fon.

"I would suggest listening to him. Fon has never been known for beating around the bush, or for being anything but blunt with his words," said a voice. It was Viper.

Xiao Gang looked at Fon as if he had never really seen the boy before.

The knowledge that surpassed even his own, the fact that Fon had skills no one should possess and had somehow found a way to help him surpass a roadblock that had gotten him thrown out of his own family...

"You... You were reincarnated, weren't you?"

"Not just me, though I find it fascinating that my brother and I came from different worlds only to end up in the same womb," said Fon.

"Where we come from, genetics has been thoroughly researched to the point that people understand the effects of inbreeding. And it was started because someone noticed that no two plants had the same genetic make-up while examining them much closer than the human eye is physically capable of," said Viper. "Fon, you had best find Tang San. He seems to have gotten in a spot of trouble with those spider legs of his."

Xiao Gang disappeared in an instant. However his mind was reeling from the revelation Fon (and apparently Viper) had knowledge of an entirely other world. And quite likely Tang San as well, though his knowledge base was far more limited than the other two.

Right now it didn't matter...all that mattered was helping his disciple from his own critical error. The last thing he wanted Xiao San to endure was the fact he had accidentally killed his own friends.


End file.
